June 24, 2019 3.21 pm This story is over 69 months old

Man who filmed himself abusing girl, five, jailed

He was caught when the films he had catalogued were discovered
Matthew Beattie was jailed for 16 years. Photo: Lincolnshire Police

A man who filmed himself raping and sexually abusing a young girl was jailed for 16 years after being branded as dangerous by a judge at Lincoln Crown Court.

Matthew Beattie was only caught years later when the films he had catalogued were discovered.

Mark Watson, prosecuting, said: “This defendant systematically abused this girl in a number of ways.

“Many of the examples were filmed by the defendant. That was what brought these offences to light.

“The footage was kept by the defendant for a number of years. They were not just filmed and kept. He labelled them as to precisely what it was that was captured in the footage.”

Mr Watson said that in addition to indecent images that Beattie had taken himself, police also found 2,059 further indecent images of children on Beattie’s computer equipment. This included 45 which were identified as being in the most serious category.

Beattie, 47, from Langworth, admitted three charges of rape a child under the age of 13, two charges of causing a child to engage in sexual activity and a further charge of sexual assault.

He also admitted two charges of making indecent images of a child and five charges of possession of indecent images of a child. The offences occurred between 2007, when his victim was just five years old, and 2010.

In addition to being jailed he was placed on the sex offenders’ register for life and given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

Judge Simon Hirst, passing sentence, told him: “I am required to consider the issue of dangerousness. I am satisfied that you present such a risk.”

Laura Pitman, in mitigation, told the court: “He knows he is going to receive a lengthy custodial sentence. He recognises that what he did all those years ago was so wrong and he needs to address what caused him to behave in that way.”