Former charity director jailed indefinitely for sadistic campaign of violence against prostitues

Apr 28 2010 by Chloe Griffiths, Heswall News

THE former director of a children’s charity has been jailed indefinitely for a sadistic “campaign of violence” against prostitutes.

Matthew Byrne, 38, was named as a “leading light” of Liverpool as the boss of the Young Person’s Advisory Service.

But the “Jekyll and Hyde” figure was locked up for the public’s protection yesterday after Liverpool Crown Court heard how he carried out a string of brutal sex attacks on vice workers after luring them back to his home.

Byrne would order the women to dress up as schoolgirls before beginning his sickening attacks.

Peter Davies, prosecuting, told how Byrne would tie up and gag his victims before strangling them, often until they believed they were going to die. He then repeatedly beat the women with a cane for his own sexual pleasure. He also used a sexual implement on one woman. Byrne admitted four counts of sexual assault, one of assault by penetration, as well as nine charges of possessing nearly 9,000 indecent images of children and a further charge of outraging public decency.

Jailing him indefinitely, Judge John Phipps said: “Each woman agreed to accompany you back to your house where you subjected them to a sadistic treatment of the most extreme kind.”

Byrne, who was ordered to serve a minimum of 3½ years behind bars, was finally brought to justice after he was caught committing a lewd act on a train while photographing young girls. When police raided his Tollemache Street home, Wallasey, on June 26, 2009, they discovered he had turned a front bedroom into a secret sex chamber complete with shackles, cane, rope and sex toys.

They also uncovered a vast collection of obscene pictures of children, as well as violent pornography.

Alistair Edie, defending, said Byrne accepted he had been “out of control” in his desperation for sexual gratification.

Byrne will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life and was also subjected to a Sexual Offenders’ Prevention Order which bans him from being in the company of any children or sex workers.