UK: Transgender Sex Offender Sentenced To 3 Years In Prison After Lengthy History of Breaching Conditions

A trans-identified male has been jailed for 3 years after being found in breach of his sex offender conditions. Smith, who was born Matthew Burren, was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court last Friday after being caught using a private web browser.

Smith has been convicted of at least nine breaches of sexual harm prevention orders over the years, and this latest jail sentence is the most recent episode in Smith’s lengthy history of convictions beginning from when he was a child.

In 2006, when he was just 12-years-old, Smith was convicted of raping a 5-year-old. Despite his young age, the offense was so serious that it resulted in a custodial sentence. While the total length of time he spent in prison is unknown, he was later released on extended license under extreme restrictions intended to prevent further offending, including controls concerning contact with children and access to electronic devices.

By 2011, Smith, then 18, was again before the authorities following the discovery of prohibited material involving children on electronic devices. Later reporting describes material including prohibited computer-generated or drawn depictions of children. A Sexual Offences Prevention Order was subsequently imposed, placing further restrictions on his conduct.

But those restrictions once again failed to prevent Smith from offending.

In 2015, he was again convicted in connection with prohibited images of children and breaches of his sexual offense prevention orders including communication with children.

Yet another case followed in 2019. Police discovered a PlayStation 4 at Smith’s home, and court reporting revealed that he had been using the console to access the internet. Browsing information on the device had been tampered with, and pornographic websites had been bookmarked on the device. Smith admitted viewing pornography but disputed knowing whether material accessed was illegal. The court imposed a two-year community order, including 30 days of rehabilitation activity, rather than immediate imprisonment.

Alex Smith in a 2026 mug shot. Photo Credit: Wiltshire Police

It was around this time that Smith began publicly identifying as transgender and moved to change his name from Matthew Burren.

In March of 2021, officers arrived at Smith’s home in Swindon to check compliance with the Sexual Harm Prevention Order. They asked whether Smith possessed any internet-capable devices of which the authorities were unaware. Smith reportedly said there were none, but officers examined the home’s router and found an unknown Samsung mobile phone connected to it. Smith initially denied knowing about the device, before officers found the phone hidden in the home.

The routine home check then escalated when Smith picked up a pair of scissors, approached an officer and threatened to kill himself, according to reports of the proceedings. Smith was arrested and taken to Gablecross Police Station and subsequently pleaded guilty to breaching the Sexual Harm Prevention Order. The breach was reported as the fifth conviction for breaching the order.

Smith received a 26-week prison sentence, but it was suspended for two years. An indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order was also imposed with further restrictions concerning children. The sentencing judge was reported to have taken Smith’s gender transition and concerns about vulnerability in prison into account when deciding to suspend the custodial sentence. The decision did not remove the restrictions imposed on Smith, and the order continued to regulate contact with children and the use of technology.

But the restrictions were breached yet again in 2024. In November that year, Smith pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the notification requirements of the sex offenders register and to three breaches of the Sexual Harm Prevention Order, involving failures to notify police about internet-accessible devices. A neighbor also alerted police after seeing Smith burning what appeared to be correspondence outside of his home. Police then found letters addressed to an alias, “Rezzed Nova.”

On December 13 of 2024, Smith was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court to two years and three months in prison for the breaches.

Less than two years later, however, Smith was returned to the courts again. Wiltshire Police said Smith was arrested on July 7, 2026, after being found to have breached the Sexual Harm Prevention Order by using a private web browser.

On August 7, Smith was remanded in custody and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment.

In announcing the latest sentence, Wiltshire Police referred to the history of convictions dating back to the original child-rape conviction, including subsequent breaches of Sexual Harm Prevention Orders, breaches of notification requirements and possession of indecent images of children. Police confirmed that Smith remains subject to lifelong notification requirements and a lifelong Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

In reporting on his latest conviction, some media outlets opted to refer to Smith by his preferred pronouns.

Wiltshire999, a local news outlet, referred to Smith by “she/her” pronouns until a hasty edit replaced all instances with “they/them.” However, past articles published by Wiltshire999 on Smith’s historic offenses still use feminine pronouns for the predator.

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