Matthew Falder: One of Britain's most prolific paedophiles has jail sentence cut by seven years

Shamed academic's lawyers had argued prison term was 'manifestly excessive'

One of Britain's most prolific paedophiles has had his 32-year prison sentence cut by seven years after judges accepted it was “manifestly excessive”.

Matthew Falder, who blackmailed dozens of vulnerable young victims into sending him explicit photos and committing sexual abuse, had his jail term reduced to 25 years by the Court of Appeal in London.

The 29-year-old was jailed in February after admitting 137 offences against 46 people.

Three of his traumatised victims attempted to kill themselves after being coerced into sending him explicit images.

Falder, a Cambridge-educated academic, was arrested following an unprecedented international intelligence operation involving security services in the UK, US, Israel and Australia.

Judge Philip Parker QC, who sentenced him earlier this year, said his “warped and sadistic” behaviour told “a tale of ever increasing depravity” that lasted over a decade.

Falder’s barrister Andrew Smith told appeal court judges: "This was grave offending with undoubtedly profound consequences for those who were the victims of this applicant."

But he submitted that "the custodial element of 32 years imposed was manifestly excessive".

Lord Justice Holroyde, sitting with Mr Justice King and the Recorder of Winchester Judge Keith Cutler, said on Tuesday the court had concluded that the "appropriate" custodial term, taking into account credit for the guilty pleas, was 25 years.

But they increased Falder’s extended licence period – given to the most dangerous offenders - from six years to eight.

Falder, of Harborne Park Road, Birmingham, watched proceedings over video link from prison.

The former geophysics researcher and lecturer at the University of Birmingham was arrested in June last year following an investigation led by the National Crime Agency.

Birmingham Crown Court heard he coerced male and female victims into producing "increasingly severe self-generated indecent images of themselves, the focus of these images being to humiliate and degrade".

He distributed many of the pictures, depicting sexual and physical abuse, on so-called "hurtcore" websites on the dark web.

In an online list of “100 things we want to see at least once”, Falder suggested “a young girl being used as a dartboard”, a video depicting a child’s bones being “slowly and deliberately broken”, and the abuse of “a paralysed child”.

He targeted more than 300 people ranging from young teenagers to adults worldwide using a classified advert website, boasting that he would never be caught because of specialist software which hid his accounts.

Mr Parker branded him an "internet highwayman" who “wanted to assume total control over [his] victims”, many of whom had to live with the knowledge that the images were still online.

"Your behaviour was cunning, persistent, manipulative and cruel,” he told him in February. “No one who knew you, above ground, had an inkling of what you were doing below the surface.”

Falder admitted 137 offences, including voyeurism, encouraging child rape, and sharing images showing the abuse of a newborn baby.

On his arrest, he quipped to officers that the list of charges sounded "like the rap sheet from hell".

Lord Justice Holroyde said the court accepted the submission made on Falder's behalf that the sentencing judge "fell into error in failing to have sufficient regard to totality".

The prosecution had submitted that although the sentence was "severe", it was not manifestly excessive considering the gravity of the offending.

Describing it as a "difficult case", Lord Justice Holroyde said the court had "considered carefully what total sentence would impose a just and proper punishment for the grave offences committed by this applicant".

He said of Falder: "He is now approaching his 30th birthday. He has no previous convictions recorded against him. He grew up in what was a clearly loving and caring family who are now bewildered by his offending."

He paid tribute to the "courage" of victims who came forward to report his crimes.

The judges concluded that the new sentence should be one of 33 years, comprising the custodial element of 25 years and the extended licence period of eight years.