John and Mark Matthews

Introduction

John Matthews, 74, and Mark Matthews, 61, both of Halifax, West Yorkshire, were each sentenced to six years and three months in prison at Bradford Crown Court on November 5, 2026, for non-recent sexual offences against a child. The sentences concluded a West Yorkshire Police child-protection investigation into sexual abuse committed decades earlier, and the victim — a man, who cannot be named — was praised by the investigating officer for the courage it took to report the abuse and see it through the courts. The two men, who share a surname and a home town, appeared at court together for sentence.

Background Information

The offences the two men were sentenced for are described by West Yorkshire Police as non-recent — the legal and policing term for sexual offences committed years or decades before they were reported — and were committed against one child victim, now an adult man. The case was investigated by the force’s Halifax Child Protection Department, whose detectives prepared the case that produced convictions against both men at Bradford Crown Court. The police press release announcing the sentences does not state the nature of the relationship between the two men, the specific dates of the offending, or the details of the counts on which they were convicted, reflecting the reporting restrictions that protect the identity of victims of sexual offences.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Convicted and sentenced. Both men received identical six-years-and-three-month terms for serious sexual offences against a child; the abuse itself was non-recent, and the case only became public when the sentences were announced.

John Matthews, 74, and Mark Matthews, 61, appeared at Bradford Crown Court and were each sentenced to six years and three months in prison for serious sexual offences on Thursday, November 5, 2026. The offences were against a child victim whose abuse came to light only when he, as an adult, reported it — the pattern the force’s child-protection investigators describe as typical of non-recent child sexual abuse cases, in which victims come forward years or decades after the offending. The court’s sentences were announced in a West Yorkshire Police press release dated November 6, 2026, the day after the hearings.

The police release gave no details of the counts, the dates, or the circumstances of the offending beyond the classification of the offences as serious and sexual and committed against a child — an omission consistent with the legal anonymity protections around sexual-offence victims, which prevent published reporting from identifying a complainant even indirectly. What the record does establish is that both Halifax men were convicted of such offences arising from the same investigation and received the same prison term on the same day.

Public Reaction and Consequences

Detective Constable Holly Jefferis, of the Halifax Child Protection Department, said in the force’s statement: “I would like to thank the victim for the courage, dignity, and resilience he has shown throughout both the police investigation and the court process.” Jefferis said that speaking about sexual abuse is never easy and that his bravery in coming forward “has been instrumental in securing these convictions,” adding: “I hope today’s sentence provides him with a sense of justice for the abuse he suffered and brings some measure of peace and closure as he moves forward with his life.”

The officer’s statement addressed the wider barrier facing male survivors: “We recognise that for many male victims, reporting sexual abuse can be especially difficult due to feelings of shame, embarrassment, fear or concerns about how they may be perceived. I hope this sentence will give male victims the confidence to come forward and report sexual abuse when they feel ready.” Jefferis added that “sexual abuse can happen to anyone, regardless of age, sex or gender identity,” and that the force, along with its partners, supports victims while pursuing those responsible. The release also pointed to the force’s support for the “When You Are Ready” campaign for victims and survivors of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Current Status

John Matthews, 74, and Mark Matthews, 61, are both serving sentences of six years and three months imposed at Bradford Crown Court on November 5, 2026. The convictions arose from the same West Yorkshire Police child-protection investigation into the abuse of one male victim, who reported the offending as an adult. Beyond the sentences, the published record does not detail the counts or the offending dates, and the victim’s anonymity protections remain in force.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Both men begin custodial sentences in their sixties and seventies for abuse committed against a child decades earlier, with their names, ages and home town attached permanently to the convictions in the force’s published record. The case illustrates the late-arriving consequences of non-recent child sexual abuse: no prosecution occurred at the time of the offending, but the adult victim’s decision to report decades later produced twin convictions and identical prison terms, and the investigating detective framed the outcome publicly as a message to other male survivors that reporting remains possible regardless of how much time has passed.

Sources

• “Two Halifax men jailed for non-recent child sexual abuse” — West Yorkshire Police, Nov. 6, 2026 source