A MAN who travelled to different parts of the country to take part in sexual threesomes with another man and a 13-year-old boy has been jailed for three years.
Matthew Lancashire had pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to three charges of sexual activity with a child.
The offences date back to 2012, and the other man, Oskar Rogalski from Ryton-on-Dunsmore, who recruited their young victim, has already been given an extended prison sentence.
Jailing Lancashire, 24 – now of Queens Crescent, Livingstone, West Lothian in Scotland – Judge Sylvia de Bertodano also ordered him to register as a sex offender for life.
Prosecutor Lee Marklew said Rogalski, who was 19 at the time, was first in contact with the boy on Facebook in March 2012.
He then travelled to Cambridge to meet the boy who was on a day trip with his mother, who was led to believe the friendship was platonic and to do with ‘snowboarding and the like.’
She was then persuaded to let the boy visit Rogalski at his home in Warren Field, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, where sexual activity between them first took place as another man watched via a webcam.
Mr Marklew told the court: “Rogalski made this defendant aware that he had met the boy, and they were all introduced to each other.” He then pointed out messages were found on Lancashire’s phone which had previously been sent by Rogalski to say he was organising a threesome with a 13-year-old boy.
“The three of them met at Rogalski’s parents’ house, and when that address wasn’t available Rogalski and Lancashire would take the boy away for weekends around the country to various cities, staying in hotels,” said Mr Marklew.
Rogalski, who was given an extended prison sentence in October 2013 of four years in custody followed by an additional four years on licence, was said to have had sex with the boy on more than five occasions.
When he was interviewed, Lancashire, who had no previous convictions, told the police: “We would hang out together and go on day trips together. I thought he was about 14.
“Oskar wanted me to join in the sexual activity, and I had oral sex with him (the boy). I accept Oskar had been planning for us to have a threesome.”
Explaining the delay in the case coming to court, Mr Marklew added that it had taken ‘some time’ to trace Lancashire.
Referring to psychiatric and criminal justice social reports on Lancashire, his barrister Simon Ward said: This young man has a difficult and complicated life.”
He argued: “Matthew Lancashire should get a sentence which is less severe than his co-accused. It was Rogalski who found the boy and befriended him and got my client involved. His was a much more limited involvement.”
But Judge de Bertodano commented: “He was an enthusiastic participant.”
Mr Ward said Lancashire had been arrested last year and pleaded guilty at the first crown court hearing, and has had the worry about what was going to happen hanging over him since then.
“Prison will be hard for him for all sorts of reasons. He looks very much younger than he is, and is weak and has Crohn’s disease which will make it much more difficult for him in prison.”
Jailing Lancashire, Judge de Bertodano told him: “You and Mr Rogalski had exchanged messages about having a threesome with a 13-year-old boy, and some time later this happened.
“Mr Rogalski had got in touch with him first and had started a sexual relationship with him, but he then introduced you to him; and you and Mr Rogalski and the 13-year-old went on a number of trips together, and on two occasions there was sexual activity between you and him.
“He was effectively being preyed on by young men for their own sexual purposes. You committed these offences with someone else, and there was a significant degree of planning.
“Things you do to young children have very serious effects on them which can last into adulthood.”
