Halesowen man jailed after online child sex offences
Matthew Reilly, 39, pleaded guilty to 34 offences between October 2021 and January 2022
A Halesowen man who carried out multiple online sexual offences against children has been jailed.
39-year-old Matthew Reilly admitted to messaging girls on Snapchat, including posing as a 15-year-old boy, and sent sexual images to them.
A search of Reilly's phone found multiple indecent images of children, and Reilly reportedly coaxed one of his victims into performing a sexual act.
The offences between October 2021 and January 2022 involved 40 victims in 27 different police force areas across the UK.
Reilly was initially arrested after police executed a warrant at his home in January 2023, with his electronic devices seized.
He was re-arrested on 29 September 2023 and charged with 52 offences.
At a court hearing in February, Reilly pleaded guilty to 18 counts of sexual communication with a child under 16, one count of causing / inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, and five counts of causing a child under 16 to watch a sexual act.
He also pleaded guilty to eight counts of making an indecent image of a child - including one Category A offence, the most serious - and two counts of distributing indecent images of a child.
Detective Constable Jack Dobbinson, who worked on the case for our Online Child Sexual Exploitation Team said:
"Matthew Reilly is a dangerous sexual predator who exploited and abused children online. He did so under the guise of a much younger person in order to gain their trust – a trust he betrayed in the most appalling fashion.
"I commend the victims and their families for their courage and cooperation throughout our investigation. I’d also like to thank our colleagues across other force areas for their assistance.
"I do hope that by seeing him put away, all of those affected by Reilly’s offences can move on with their lives."
Support is available on the West Midlands Police website for anyone who is being abused, or knows someone who is being abused.