The men stormed Matthew Atkinson’s home, attacked him and vandalised his car as “punishment” for his vile sex offences. Atkinson, 36, used an ex-colleague’s photo to “catfish” young boys on social media websites, including Snapchat. He set up a page with a picture of the “attractive young woman” to “entice” children online. 

But the former colleague spotted it and reported Atkinson to police, who raided his address and discovered the stash of child abuse images.

The Liverpool Echo reports Atkinson, whose vile collection included photos of babies being molested, confessed to “sexual fantasies” about young boys.

But he was spared an immediate jail term on Wednesday at Liverpool Crown Court, with Judge David Swinnerton instead suspending his 12-month sentence for two years.

“You were using that (Snapchat) deliberately in order to entice conversation with young boys,” the judge said.

“I would invite you to think just how traumatic the childhood is for children who are abused sexually, photographed, and then these photographs are distributed online in order for people like you to gain sexual pleasure by looking at them.”

The court heard Atkinson had tried to take his own life last Thursday, days after the vigilantes stormed his flat in Seaforth, Merseyside, and attacked him.

He suffered two cardiac arrests after taking an overdose.

Tom Challinor, defending, said: “On Monday of last week his front door and his car were attacked and covered in graffiti, which alluded to the fact that he was a sex offender.

“More seriously, last night he was attacked by a group of men who broke into his house and rampaged through the premises. They smashed windows. The police have been involved and are currently investigating.

“His words to me in conference are essentially in the space of a week he feels his life has collapsed around him.”

Atkinson admitted one count of possessing and three counts of downloading indecent images of children.

Police were alerted to the fake Snapchat profile in July last year, the court heard.

Sexually explicit photos of underage boys had been sent and received by the Snapchat profile.

Atkinson’s former colleague told officers at Merseyside Police she suspected he was responsible.

Jo Maxwell, prosecuting, said police investigated the account and discovered it was connected to another account, MJAtkins84.

They traced an IP address used with it to Atkinson’s former home, where he lived with his girlfriend.

Police raided his home last August and seized mobile phones and a computer containing 457 indecent images of children

There were 86 Category A, 249 Category B and 249 Category C indecent images.

The Category A files – involving child rape – included photos of a boy aged as young as 18 months and a girl aged as young as two who was wearing a nappy, plus a video showing a child aged as young as 18 months.

The Category B and C files involved babies as young as 12 months.

Atkinson, who has previous convictions for theft, had also made online searches using child sexual abuse terms.

Ms Maxwell said he was interviewed and admitted possessing the files, but said “he can’t remember why or how”.

But Mr Challinor said Atkinson had shown “considerable remorse” and was “thoroughly ashamed”.

He said his client, who has emotionally unstable personality disorder, had received “punishment outside of the court setting”.

The lawyer said Atkinson’s relationship with his partner had ended and his landlord had told him he had to move out for the safety of other tenants.

Mr Challinor said Atkinson would go to a hotel, but was in the process of moving to a new home elsewhere in the region.

He said Atkinson had voluntarily began a course with child sex abuse prevention charity The Lucy Faithfull Foundation and suggested he could be rehabilitated.

The judge also ordered the defendant to attend a Horizon sex offenders treatment programme and to complete a 30-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement and 100 hours of unpaid work.

Judge Swinnerton said Atkinson must comply with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and sign on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.

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