Brockholes man jailed for child sexual offences
Sentenced to more than three years for abuse and grooming
Last updated 2nd Nov 2026
A man from Brockholes, Holmfirth, has been sentenced to over three years in prison for child sexual offences.
Matthew Blakey, 30, travelled from his home in West Yorkshire to Hertfordshire to meet a girl he had met online.
He visited Hatfield on 5th December 2025, where he sexually assaulted the girl, who was 15 years old at the time.
Blakey had been communicating with the teenager through graphic sexual messages before the visit.
He was arrested on 2nd February 2026, following a report to the police.
Blakey admitted to multiple offences, including causing a child to watch an image of sexual activity, causing a girl to engage in sexual activity, making indecent photographs of a child, and possessing indecent images of children.
At St Albans Crown Court on 23rd October 2026, he received a jail sentence of three years and four months.
Additionally, he was given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and a restraining order lasting 10 years.
Detective Constable Sarah Gillham, from the Child Online Safeguarding Team, said: “Matthew Blakey is a dangerous offender, and this case shows how he groomed the victim by travelling some 170 miles to commit his crimes.
“The sexual abuse committed by Blakey has had a devastating impact on the victim who was thankfully spared the ordeal of a criminal trial by the guilty pleas.
“I hope today’s result goes some way in providing a sense of closure and that she can begin to move forward with her life.”