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More than 1,000 people have signed a petition to the Attorney General asking to extend the jail term of a former teacher who collected and shared indecent images of children, and sent messages about taking underwear from pupils' lockers.
James John Matthews (43), the former Deputy Head of St. John’s Primary School was initially sentenced last September to two years and nine months' imprisonment, having pleaded guilty to possessing indecent images of children and sending "obscene" messages.
However, last week, his sentence was extended by 11 months, as a result of his ex-wife uncovering a laptop in a toy box, which revealed a further 172 images.
Of those, 82 photos and four videos were classified as being at the most serious level by police analysts.
Pictured: Matthews' sentence was increased by 11 months following the discovery of further indecent images on a laptop in a toy box in his house.
There was also evidence he distributed images to others. In one uncovered message, he identified himself as a teacher and discussed taking underwear from children’s lockers.
Responding to the sentence, "disgusted" St. John's School alumnus Toby Le Brocq created a change.org petition to Attorney General Mark Temple calling for Matthews' term of imprisonment to be lengthened because, in his view, "adding 11 more months is good enough" given "all the bad things he's done".
When asked for comment on the petition, the Law Officers' Department said the Attorney General "does not comment on specific cases."
It’s not the first time a petition has been set up to extend Matthews’ sentence.
Following his initial sentencing in 2020, an official Jersey e-petition demanding a higher sentence was set up.
However, the petition was rejected as it was an area that “Ministers or the States Assembly is not responsible for.”
Pictured: Last year, a petition was rejected proposing that Matthews' sentence be extended.
“It's an important principle that the States Assembly, as the island's legislature, does not interfere with the sentences passed by the court,” the rejection explanation read.
It added: “The Assembly is responsible for the overall framework of law in this area, including the range of sentences which may be imposed, but not the sentencing decisions taken in individual cases.”
A petition to change this framework, to enable higher sentences for paedophiles was created in 2019, hitting more than 5,000 signatures, which is the number needed for the Assembly to debate it.
Though a debate took place, it was only a ‘general debate’, with no decision or vote being taken.
Additionally, in his Ministerial response, the Home Affairs Minister of the time, the late Constable Len Norman, said that “it is not common practice in Jersey to use legislation to set mandatory minimum prison terms for offences.
“Legislation usually refers to the maximum sentence that can be imposed for an offence. This is the case for the 2018 Sexual Offences Law and maximum sentences are set out throughout Articles 9 to 20.
“The maximum prison sentences have been set having regard to the nature of the behaviour giving rise to the offence and the penalties and range from liability to imprisonment for life to imprisonment for 5 years.”
More recently, changes to the Sex Offenders’ Law and the time those guilty of sexual offences spend on the Sex Offenders' Register have also been considered.
Responding to a petition asking for sex offenders to only begin time on the register when they leave prison, current Home Affairs Minister Deputy Gregory Guida said the idea had "merit", but noted that it was “unlikely” any change would happen in this term.
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