Felixstowe man Matthew Redstall had sex with teen girl

Matthew Redstall, of High Road, was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to seven counts of causing a child to engage in sexual activity by a person in position of trust and three counts of possessing indecent images of a child.

Matthew Redstall, of High Road, Felixstowe, was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court (Image: Suffolk Police) The court heard Redstall, 50, made the girl feel “special” and told her that he was lonely in his marriage and the girl was the only one who ever asked how he was feeling.

At the time of the offence in 2019, the girl was 17 and her grandmother had just died, leaving her “vulnerable” to the defendant’s “manipulative” behaviour.

The victim began to confide in Redstall and a relationship between them began that became increasingly sexual.

Both sent intimate pictures to each other and later the pair had consensual sex for two months.

However, the girl eventually informed a social worker she had been having a sexual relationship with Redstall.

At first the defendant denied the charges but later admitted to them and allowed police to analyse his phone where they found the pictures.

A statement from the victim was read out to the court in which she said: “The effects I have endured during and since becoming a victim of sexual and emotional abuse are physically, mentally and emotionally damaging."

“My self-image was shattered,” she added.

“My 18th birthday was ruined by the offender outlining his sexual needs with manipulative and narcissistic tones and asking why I was not performing certain sex acts with him.

“He took sexual and emotional advantage of a vulnerable child.”

Judge David Wilson sentenced Redstall to two years in prison and added: “This was a predatory piece of offending, and the court cannot look lightly on such persistent predatory conduct.”