A sales advisor who was the first person in Scotland to be convicted of live streaming abuse of children has been jailed for nine years.

A judge told Mathew Bell he had sunk to “new depths of depravity” with his sick crimes.

The 51 year-old directed attacks from his home in Irvine, North Ayrshire.

He was in contact with female paedophiles in the Philippines to prey on the children as he watched.

This included him paying 93p to see a young girl abused.

Bell also directed a man to rape an unconscious woman via live-stream.

He today returned to the High Court in Glasgow having earlier pled guilty to four charges under the Sexual Offences Act.

Lord Arthurson told him: “This involved abuse in the Philippines that you orchestrated and live streamed into your home by way of an internet connection.

“Those working in these courts require, in large part, to endure a daily diet of depravity.

“On occasion, an indictment comes before the court in which new depths of such depravity are plumbed.

“I have concluded that yours is such a case.

“I propose to sentence you on no different basis that if you had undertaken the sexual abuse in person.

Irvine Times:

“What you actually did, by involving proxy third-party abusers, merits an even more substantial period of imprisonment.”

Bell will be also be supervised for a further six years on his release.

The pervert was snared in March last year. His computer and hard drive were analysed.

Prosecutor Steven Borthwick said: “Moving images of child sexual exploitation were recovered.

“Bell has instructed said abuse to take place by verbal and written communication to persons in the Philippines via internet message services.”

The court was told a young boy was attacked in April 2016.

Bell chatted to two women via Skype as the pair preyed on the child.

At one stage, Bell states: “Ah, ok...good, good.”

The hearing was then told Bell “participated in the sexual abuse” of a girl in March 2017.

The pervert again spoke to a Filipino woman via Skype as she attacked the child.

A message is sent stating: “Give good show...now I send 1k cash (in) morning”.

Another girl was also targeted in a similar way around the same time.

The court heard there was also evidence of Bell “making payment for the sexual services of a child”.

This emerged from a “live screenshot” during the abuse.

Mr Borthwick: “It showed Brown making a payment of 50 Philippine Piso (93p)...there is an element of bartering as the female will not continue.”

The prosecutor added police cyber experts usually found images which had an accused person had instead downloaded.

He went on: “The unit is not aware of any other case involving live streaming of child sexual abuse in a foreign jurisdiction.”

Police also uncovered horrific footage of a woman in the Philippines being raped in 2013 - under the direction of Bell via the internet.

Mr Borthwick: “The recordings are in a split screen format with one side showing a male and female, the other showing Bell.

“The female is unresponsive and her body is limp as the sexual intercourse takes place.”

The court heard Bell would have been “aware” of her stricken condition.

Mr Borthwick said there had been an “agreed plan” and that Bell “acted in concert” to sexually assault the woman.

Bell urged his accomplice at one stage: “She is going to stop you maybe. You may be need to rape her.”

Bell went on to give the man “a thumbs up” during the attack.

He also pled guilty at the earlier hearing to making indecent photographs of children.

The five charges span between 2013 and 2017.

John McEloy, defending, said: “The offending is despicable and the effect on the victims will be significant.

“He had viewed 'normal' pornography before falling down a wormhole of depraved pornography.

“He despises himself knowing what he did was wrong.”

Bell – who showed no emotion during the hearing – was also placed on the sex offenders list indefinitely.

Irvine Times:

Detective Inspector Susan Milloy, Ayrshire Public Protection Unit, said: “We welcome the sentencing for what is the first person in the United Kingdom to be convicted of live streaming sexual abuse.

“We received information regarding Bell in March last year and within five days had searched his address and subsequently arrested him.

“This was a challenging case for our officers in the Public Protection Unit and our Cybercrime Unit, who had to examine the footage found to establish exactly what crimes had been committed.

“Bell was found not to have only downloaded images and videos of sexual abuse, but to have incited the crimes himself via live streaming.

“It is unimaginable what impact Bell will have had on his victims in this case, many of whom were not even within the same country as their abuser.

“We hope that this conviction and sentencing send a clear message. You may think that by sitting in your home live streaming abuse that you will not be caught, but you will. We are continuously gathering information and intelligence with a wide range of partners. Make no mistake, we will come after anyone who is committing these heinous crimes, no matter how long it takes.”

Procurator Fiscal for Sexual Offences Catriona Bryden said: “Matthew Bell’s prosecution for a conspiracy to commit a serious sexual offence and inciting a number of sexual offences involving children via live stream to the Philippines is the first of its kind in Scotland.

“We may never know the fate of the woman and children that he caused to suffer for his own sexual gratification

“This was a complex case which required hard work, close cooperation and careful investigation by police and prosecutors, working with the NCA and the International Justice Mission UK to overcome the technical and jurisdictional barriers that this crime presented.

“Criminals like Matthew Bell may think that they can hide behind technology and the distances involved will prevent them being caught or prosecuted. They are wrong. The technical resources available to investigators and the sharing of information across continents by law enforcement agencies mean that the complexities of global sexual cybercrime will present no barriers to justice being done.”