Huddersfield man handed 27 year sentence for sexual abuse of four children
The 56 year old targeted two boys and two girls in the Kirklees area between 2003 and 2014
A Huddersfield man has been handed a 27 year prison sentence for serious sexual offences against children.
56 year old Matthew Pearce, of Glastonbury Drive, was found guilty of a range of offences against two young girls and two boys, which happened between 2003 and 2014.
All four victims later came forward to talk about what had happened to them, resulting in Pearce's arrest in 2022.
Pearce was sentenced after being convicted of the following 20 offences at Leeds Crown Court:
• Three offences of rape of a child under 13.
• Two offences of rape
• Two offences of sexual assault on a child under 13
• Sexual assault
• Two offences of causing a child to watch a sexual act
• Two offences of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child
• Five offences of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity.
• Two offences of causing a child to engage in sexual activity
• Indecency with a child
DC Paul Campbell of West Yorkshire Police, who led the investigation, said: “The four victims in this case suffered sexual abuse which can only be described as horrific, and we want to pay tribute to the immense bravery they have shown.
“Even by the standards of some of the dreadful offences we investigate as safeguarding detectives, Pearce’s offending has been appalling in its depravity, and this has been reflected in the very lengthy sentenced imposed by the court.”