Colchester Tesco worker groomed 13 young girls over social media

Matthew Clarke, 23, used social media to reach out to girls as young as 12 between 2015 and 2020.

Initially seeking to charm the girls, many of whom were vulnerable suffering with mental health difficulties, he soon turned the conversations towards sex.

Ipswich Crown Court heard he also used his job at a Colchester Tesco supermarket to spot young girls he had messaged, using Snapchat’s mapping feature to track their movements.

He then exchanged messages with the girls which, on many occasions, became increasingly sexualised in nature including him demanding they send him explicit photos and him sending them explicit images.

Clarke met and had sexual encounters with three of the girls.

In every case, Clarke knew how old the girls were.

In one instance, one of the victims told police she had sent Clarke an intimate image and then felt he had threatened to put it into the public domain if she did not send him more.

Concerns were raised by the mother of one of the girls in April 2019 about Clarke harassing her daughter.

The case was investigated by the Child Sexual Exploitation Proactive Investigation Team, which investigates the complex and organised exploitation of children.

Through their investigation they identified seven victims who gave statements and led to Clarke, of Delamere Road, Colchester, being arrested in May 2019.

Read more >> Shop worker who groomed 13 young girls over social media jailed

His phone was seized and on it officers discovered 35 conversations on Snapchat with girls under the age of 16.

He was later charged and admitted 12 counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, six counts of making indecent images of children, five counts of causing a child to watch a sexual act, three counts of sexual communication with a child, two counts of sexual activity with a child, one count of assault by penetration and one count of sexual assault.

Police attend Matthew Clarke's home

He was jailed for 12 years with a further eight on extended licence and will remain on the sex offender’s register for life.

Judge Emma Peters said however many benefits social media bestow, they can be “nightmarish” platforms for predators to approach children.

She added: “You are a threat to children and you are every parent’s worst nightmare.”