Jailed: 'Dangerous sexual predator' from Halesowen who exploited and abused children online
A man who carried out a series of online sexual offences against children across the UK has been sent to prison.
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Matthew Reilly, from Spiral Close, Halesowen, was sentenced to nine years at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to a total of 34 sex offences in February.
West Midlands Police began an investigation into Reilly, a registered sex offender, in January last year after officers discovered an indecent image of a child had been uploaded to online messaging platform Snapchat.
The image was traced to an account linked to Reilly and a search warrant was executed at his Halesowen home, with officers arresting the 39-year-old and seizing his electronic devices for analysis.
When interviewed, Reilly admitted to messaging girls on Snapchat and that some of the conversations he had with them had turned sexual.
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He was conditionally bailed while enquiries continued, during which time his devices were forensically examined.