Matthew Kemp

Matthew Kemp, a 34-year-old father-of-one from Middleton in West Norfolk, was sentenced at Lynn Magistrates’ Court for possessing and making a large number of indecent images and videos of children. The case came to light after police received a tip-off regarding a Snapchat account linked to Kemp's home.

Officers searched Kemp's residence on School Lane and discovered the illicit material on his devices. The collection included 68 images and four videos categorised as Category A, the most serious level; 72 images and three videos of Category B; and 153 images and three videos of Category C. In total, this amounted to more than 200 items of child sexual abuse material.

Further investigation revealed a disturbing Skype conversation in which Kemp was asked if he would have sex with a specific six-year-old girl when she was older. His response was reported as, 'I’ll do her now,' according to prosecutor Priscilla Afful-Mensah during the hearing on Thursday, 22 July 2021.

Kemp had pleaded guilty to the charges at an earlier hearing and had no previous convictions. His solicitor, Simon Nicholls, acknowledged the severity of the offences, stating, 'Any right-thinking person finds these type of offences particularly unpalatable.' Nicholls argued for a suspended sentence, highlighting Kemp's acceptance of his actions, family support—including his partner remaining with him—and efforts to change, such as enrolling in a course with The Lucy Faithfull Foundation, a child protection charity.

The bench determined that the custody threshold had been met but opted to suspend the sentence, considering the mitigating factors. The court proceedings were reported by the Lynn News on 23 July 2021.