A CHILDREN’S charity worker has appeared in court facing sexual assault and child porn charges.
Matthew Byrne, 37, of Tollemache Street, Wallasey, appeared at Birkenhead Magistrates Court after his home was raided last week.
Byrne, who runs the Young Person’s Advisory Service which works with children as young as 10, made no application for bail and was remanded in custody.
The charges include false imprisonment, assault by penetration and possession of an indecent picture of a child.
He also faced charges of assault against two women.
Formerly an aspiring politician, he stood as a Liberal Democrat candidate in the May, 2006, council elections in Wirral.
It is understood his membership of the party has since lapsed.
Police swooped on his house at around 1.30pm last Friday. They spent the weekend searching the property.
Neighbours said they saw boot-loads of items taken away for examination.
Dozens of police and forensic officers spent the weekend inside the modern terraced house. A police van was stationed outside and officers interviewed neighbours.
