EXCLUSIVE: Border Force officer took his own life after being arrested over indecent images of children

A Border Force officer killed himself after he was arrested on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children, an inquest heard.

Married father Matthew Brierley, 39, (above from Facebook) worked as an operations officer for the Home Office agency at Southampton Airport when he was arrested by police after he was identified as a potential purchaser of the images.

He was arrested at his home on March 16 2024 after the force received information that he was linked to a Paypal account used to purchase indecent images of children in 2023.

Brierley, who had biological children and a stepdaughter, was suspended from the job while the investigation was carried out, Cumbria Coroners' Court heard.

The court heard that Brierley, from Fareham Hampshire, denied the allegation in a 'no comment' interview and was bailed pending enquiries and examination of his computer and mobile devices.

However, just over a month after his arrest, he drove to a hotel in Cumbria, where he had been before, to end his life in his car.

The inquest heard that on April 23 last year he drove to the carpark of Buttermere Court Hotel, Buttermere, Cumbria, and was

found dead in his car the next day, where he left several final messages.

The inquest, that concluded on December 16, found he died as a result of suicide from asphyxia.

Dr Nicholas Shaw, HM Assistant Coroner for Cumbria, who presided over the inquest is calling for a review of how long such investigations take after hearing Brierley was told he could be on bail for up to 18 months and after it later emerged he would have not faced prosecution for the type of images he possessed.

Brierley had biological children with his wife who he married in August 2021, and was stepfather to her daughter.

Bail conditions banned him from living or sleeping at the family home or having any unsupervised contact with his biological children or stepdaughter.

Dr Shaw wrote in a prevention of future deaths report just published: 'He was under great personal stress due to a police investigation and bail conditions imposed. It is most likely that this stress caused him to take his own life by asphyxiation.

'It is recognized that men in Matthew’s circumstances are at a markedly elevated risk of suicide.'

He pointed to earlier research that showed that 3.2 percent of those arrested under a widespread UK police operation into those suspected of possessing indecent images of children had taken their own lives.

He added: 'I was told that when released on bail Matthew was informed that examination of devices and a decision in his case might take up to 18 months.

'Being suspended from work and unable to live at home removed normality and stability from Matthew and likely impaired his ability to cope with his situation. The length of time taken to reach a decision seems excessive, prolonging the time Matthew would be at risk. I was told devices can be triaged within a matter of days or more quickly, surely cases such as this should be dealt with more expeditiously? It seems that standard bail conditions are applied but I am not aware of any suggestion of a specific risk to Matthew’s stepdaughter, might a more detailed individual assessment of risk be helpful? I should record that Matthew’s phone was examined after his death and that images found were not of a grade that would have led to a prosecution.'

However, he added that police had acknowledged the increased risk and completed a standard assessment form when he was released, but he had denied any risk and referral to appropriate services.

But, he said there was no proactive follow up with him by police.

A Hampshire Police spokesperson said: 'As is routine with all cases where there has been a death following recent contact with the police, we referred our investigation to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC).

'The IOPC referred the case back to us and an internal review by our Professional Standards Department found no issues or concerns in how the investigation was handled. Our officers made Mr Brierley and his family aware of the support services available to them while the investigation was ongoing. We also ensured all appropriate safeguarding procedures were followed, as our priority must always be the protection of vulnerable people and children within our communities.'

It was the second prevention of future death report published by a coroner this month which raised issues about the death of a suspected paedophile who commited suicide while under investigation.

During a separate inquest into the death of Paul Taylor, 58, it emerged that police forces do not always arrest people accused of serious child sex offences or place them under any bail conditions, to safeguard the suspect's mental welfare.

Mr Taylor, from Holbrook Court, Clifton, Nottingham, was interviewed under caution and not placed under any bail conditions during a two-year investigation, but took his own life less than two weeks after being charged with eight serious sexual offences against a girl between 2014 and 2021 when she was aged from just four to 11.

He had allegedly raped and sexually assaulted the victim multiple occasions and incited her to engage in sexual behaviour.

A first hearing was scheduled for January 25 2024 at Nottingham Magistrates' Court, but he died on January 3.

An inquest, which ended on December 17, concluded he died as a result of suicide after he intentionally took a large quantity of prescription medication.

Nathanael Hartley, HM Assistant Coroner For Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, has called on police to review the mental health support offered to alleged paedophiles as a result of the case.

His report said: 'Paul Taylor had been under police investigation for offences that necessitated consideration of the Suicide Prevention and Risk Management of Suspects policy, (of) Nottinghamshire Police, by the police.

'That policy was complied with. It was appropriate not to arrest Mr Taylor at the outset of the investigation, so he was voluntarily interviewed and he was released under investigation for a two year period.

'Within a fortnight of him being made aware that criminal charges had been authorised, he intentionally took a large quantity of prescription medication and was found deceased at his home address on 3 January 2024.'

The report added: 'During the course of the inquest the evidence revealed matters giving rise to concern. In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths could occur unless action is taken.

'When a suspect is arrested for offences requiring a referral to a mental health nurse, commonly referred to in Nottinghamshire as 'Liaison and Diversion' the custody sergeant makes that referral automatically, which allows the opportunity for a suspect to obtain assistance from a healthcare professional, if they desire.

'In addition, there are welfare assessments conducted by the officer in charge of the investigation. In cases where a suspect is interviewed on a voluntary basis for relevant offences, the suspect is not dealt with at a custody suite and a referral to a mental health nurse is not automatic.

'In this latter scenario, only welfare assessments are completed by the officer in charge of the investigation without any involvement from healthcare services.'

A Nottinghamshire Police spokesperson said: 'We were aware of the inquest, and we have received the Prevention of Future Death Notice from the coroner, which we will now be reviewing and providing a response to the coroner within 56 days as is our duty.'