A friend of a sex offender ex-headteacher from Malmesbury claims he is a ‘really great person’ – despite his sex chat with a ‘child’.
Matthew Bennett pleaded guilty to attempting sexual communications with a teenage boy after an undercover police sting in an online chatroom back in 2023.
The 47-year-old, of Charlton Park in Malmesbury, was headteacher at Clifton High School in Bristol when it committed the crime. He now owns a business consultancy Willows Ethos.
His company website suggests clients include schools, with a ‘school leader’ named Anne leaving a testimonial. In the client feedback section, she states: “Matthew’s unwavering dedication and infectious enthusiasm make him a truly fantastic coach in every sense.”
At Swindon Magistrates’ Court on 3 November, he was spared prison and instead given a community order – with the requirement to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
Bennett was also ordered to register as a sex offender for five years.
Following coverage of the defendant’s conviction, a “good friend” of his reached out to Wiltshire 999s – claiming he “made a mistake and has paid for that”.
The man, who we have decided not to name, added: “He was handed the lowest possible sentence because of how he has reacted.
“It was found to be a complete one-off and it is questionable why the police were on an adult chat site pretending to be a minor in the first place.”
Unlike so-called paedophile hunters, undercover police officers must follow very strict rules when posing a children to catch sexual predators online.
The friend continued: “I am not condoning what happened but those close to him have seen how he has responded to it, just like the Court also saw.
“We would all like to move on from this and your article has made this so much more challenging for everybody concerned.”
He asked Wiltshire 999s to remove the defendant’s address and new company name from the article. However, both pieces of information are publicly available via the court and Companies House. It’s standard for court coverage to include the address of the offender.
