PERVERT Matthew Howell has been jailed for four-and-a-half years after having sex with two 15-year-old girls.
The married 24-year-old, who has young children of his own, seduced one of the girls at a friend’s house and met the other at the skate park on Hanley Forest Park and had sex with her at least three times, getting her pregnant. The teenager had the pregnancy terminated
Prosecutor Heather Chamberlin said on January 31 last year Howell was at a party and started flirting.
“Everybody went to bed apart from his wife and a 15-year-old girl,” she said.
“He suggested his wife took herself off to bed, which she did. He started to make advances towards the 15-year-old. She was scared.”
The court heard Howell persisted and the girl stopped resisting. He had sex with her before throwing the condom out the window.
The next morning, Howell and his wife argued as she was suspicious something had gone on. The girl was confronted by her elder brother and admitted Howell had had sex with her.
The condom was recovered from a tree by police and Howell’s DNA was found on it.
Howell, of Recorder Grove, Chell Heath, was arrested on February 5. He admitted he had been at the party but made no comment about the intercourse.
Ms Chamberlin said the mother of Howell’s second victim discovered the teenager was eight weeks’ pregnant the day after her 16th birthday in November.
Howell had known the girl for three years.
The girl told the police she had had a consensual sexual relationship with Howell since July 2008.
“She described having sexual intercourse on numerous occasions, sometimes at his home when his wife was in the premises,” said Ms Chamberlin. “She was willing, but he did know how old she was.”
Howell was arrested on December 8. He accepted he knew the girl was under 16 when they had sex.
Howell pleaded guilty to four charges of sexual activity with a child at an earlier hearing.
Catherine O’Reilly, defending, said Howell had no related previous convictions, was remorseful and could see the impact his behaviour had had on his victims. She said he was deemed by probation officers to be an immature 24-year-old.
Howell will serve half the prison term and 73 days on remand will count towards it.
Judge Granville Styler said he did not consider it was necessary to pass a sentence for public protection but gave Howell an extended licence period of three years to give him ample time to engage in the sex offenders’ treatment programme and deal with his “deviant attitudes”.
He will be on the sex offenders’ register for life and was disqualified from working with children.
The judge said: “I conclude there is significant risk to members of the public of serious harm from you committing further specified offences. Teenage girls are particularly at risk from you.”
