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Barnsley paedophile to jet off on holiday before sentencing

Getty Images Kos, GreeceGetty Images
Matthew Thompson was granted bail to take a pre-booked holiday to Kos before being sentenced

A paedophile who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing two girls has been allowed to jet off on holiday to Greece before being sentenced.

Matthew Thompson, 48, is set to fly to Kos for a week-long break despite facing a possible jail term.

Thompson, from Barnsley, admitted 10 offences, including sexual assault and taking indecent images of a child.

Judge Jonathan Gibson said despite his pleas he would not revoke bail ahead of sentencing on 18 November.

After Thompson pleaded guilty to the offences at Bradford Crown Court on Wednesday, his barrister, Gillian Batts, said her client had a pre-booked holiday to Kos which he would like to go on.

Ms Batts said he was due to fly out on Thursday and return on 27 October and suggested he could "sign on" with Barnsley police the day after he arrived back.

She told the court she had advised her client he would also need to sign on as a sex offender with the police before going away.

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What is bail?

  • You can be given bail at a police station after being charged, or between scheduled court hearings
  • If you are given bail, you may have to agree to conditions, which may include not contacting certain people or staying at a specific address
  • A defendant is unlikely to be given bail if there is a risk of further offending, or in the most serious cases such as murder
  • Being subject to bail simply means that a person is required to attend a police station or court at a specified date and time
  • If bail conditions are broken, a defendant faces being arrested

Source: Crown Prosecution Service and Gov.UK

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Following the application, Judge Gibson told Thompson: "You've pleaded guilty and you will of course get proper credit for your guilty pleas in due course when you're sentenced.

"You've been on bail and I'm not going to revoke your bail simply because you have entered honest pleas."

The judge said he was making it a condition of Thompson's bail that he reported to Barnsley police on October 28 to show he had returned to the UK.

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