Paedophile lecturer in geophysics Matthew Falder quipped to police officers that the list of his offences sounded “like the rap sheet from hell”
It was one of the most shocking investigations into paedophilia that detectives had ever come across.
The sickening and depraved crimes of Matthew Falder, a university lecturer, fully came to light during his trial at Birmingham Crown Court where he admitted 137 charges of the most heinous nature.
It included encouraging child rape, and sharing images showing the abuse of a newborn baby over a ten year period from 2009 when he was 21 years old, for which he received a 32 year sentence.
Falder’s horrifying offences will be examined in new Channel 5 show Prime Suspect Hunting The Predator at 9pm tonight [February, 26] – but even more shocking was news that the monster was given a reduced sentence by the Court of Appeal.
The nearly 30 years old post-doctoral researcher and Cambridge graduate posed online as a depressed female artist, using a number of different accounts to dupe his victims into sharing nude images and threatened to send them to their friends and relatives if they did not submit to his demands.
He posted the images on “hurtcore” websites and hidden forums on the dark web dedicated to sharing images and videos of paedophilia, rape and torture.
Global taskforce-led National Crime Agency (NCA) spent four years tracking him down before arresting him on 21 June 2017.
Other agencies involved in bringing him to justice, included GCHQ, Homeland Security Investigations in the US, the Australian Federal Police and Europol – as well as law enforcement in Israel and Slovenia.
Falder then posted the images on hidden forums on the dark web dedicated to sharing images and videos of rape, torture, paedophilia and degradation. Some of his traumatised victims, who were forced into sending him humiliating images, attempted to end their own lives.
On his arrest, he quipped to officers that the list of his then suspected offences sounded “like the rap sheet from hell”.
It was said in court that there were 46 victims targeted by Falder who Judge Philip Parker QC branded “warped and sadistic”.
Of the victims, the judge said: “The damage is ongoing. For these individuals it will never end, knowing the abuse caused by you still exists in other unknown persons’ computers.”
Falder was sentenced to 32 years behind bars in February 2018
However months later the sentence was reduced by three judges London’s Court of Appeal. His barrister Andrew Smith QC had told the court the sentence was “manifestly excessive”.
One of the judges, Lord Justice Holyrode, said the court had “considered carefully what total sentence would impose a just and proper punishment for the grave offences”.
He said that Judge Philip Parker QC, who sentenced Falder in February, had failed to have “sufficient regard to totality”.
Falder, he said, “is now approaching his 30th birthday. He has no previous convictions against him. He grew up in a clearly loving and caring family who are now bewildered by his offending”.
Falder appeared via video-link as the court ruled that 25 years was a more “appropriate” sentence, taking into account his guilty pleas.
Judge Parker also gave Falder a six-year licence period which was increased to eight years by the Court of Appeal.
Prime Suspect Hunting The Predator shows at 9pm tonight on Channel 5