Children's charity boss admits string of sadistic sex attacks on prostitutes in 'torture chamber bedroom'

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 12:33 PM on 23rd March 2010

A children's charity boss has admitted a string of sadistic sex attacks on four prostitutes.

Matthew Byrne, 38, made his victims dress up as young schoolgirls before carrying out horrific sex assaults on them at his Wirral home.

Liverpool Crown Court heard the senior charity worker tied up, gagged and strangled his victims for his own sexual pleasure.

He then used a cane to repeatedly beat the women, who were tied to his bed while he carried out the obscene acts.

In another attack he repeatedly whipped his victim until her blood sprayed over his bedroom walls.

He then used a plastic bag to suffocate the women until she saw black spots in front of her eyes and thought she was going to die.

After being released the woman discovered she had 40 whip marks to her body and legs.
When police raided Byrne's home in New Brighton they discovered he had turned a bedroom into a torture chamber.

Officers discovered a double bed with shackles attached to each bed post, a leather collar, a cane, rope, tape and girl's clothing.

They also found a collection of violent pornography, while his computer revealed he had accessed a string of sadistic websites.

DNA and blood from Byrne's victims was also uncovered.

Byrne, who ran the Young Person's Advisory Service, previously worked with children as young as 10.

The charity worker changed some of his pleas shortly before he was due to stand trial on a total of 24 charges at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday.

He pleaded guilty to four charges of sexual assault and one of assault by penetration between July 1, 2008, and May 31, 2009.

Byrne also admitted four charges of making indecent images of children.

Wearing plain trousers and a checked shirt, Byrne showed no emotion as he admitted carrying out the vicious assaults.

At an earlier hearing in January, Byrne admitted six charges of possessing obscene images of children.

Those charges represented a total of nearly 9,000 images.

He had also admitted a further count of committing a lewd and obscene act on a Merseyrail train while photographing young girls.

At the earlier hearing, Byrne had denied the more serious sex attacks.

But as his trial was due to start yesterday, his barrister Alastair Edie told the court Byrne wished to change his pleas for some of the counts.

He was charged with offences related to alleged attacks on seven different women.

Peter Davies, prosecuting, told the court that after consulting with the police and the women involved the crown were happy to accept his guilty pleas to some of the charges.

He said: 'We believe this is a realistic and pragmatic way to progress.'

Judge John Phipps agreed with the prosecution's decision and adjourned sentencing for the preparation of reports on Byrne.

But he told him: 'Of course the fact that I am ordering a report in no way means that a custodial sentence will not occur.

'In fact a custodial sentence of some length is inevitable in this case.'

He ordered Byrne to sign the Sex Offenders' Register.

In 2008 the charity boss featured in Liverpool: Sung & Unsung - a collection of photographs featuring 'individuals that best represent the city' and 'make decisions which affect the whole city'.

He was one of 86 leading lights in the book and appeared alongside Merseyside Police chief constable Bernard Hogan Howe, comedian Ken Dodd and Archbishop Patrick Kelly.

Byrne will be sentenced on April 21.

From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1260020/Charity-boss-Matthew-Byrne-admits-torture-sex-attacks-prostitutes.html