Per reports, two siblings have been arrested after investigators checked their phones and made a disturbing discovery! The 25-year-old man, Matthew, and his 18-year-old half-sister, Emily, told investigators that they have a romantic relationship. Emily reportedly claims to be blinded with her infatuation of Matthew, says she is in love with him and did not view him as a relative, her lawyer said.

The couple was among a trio who confessed to 36 counts relating to the se-ual abuse of three children under 16. Prosecutors heard testimony that Matthew and Emily took photographs of themselves se-ually assaulting the children and sent graphic messages about their abuse and discussed their planned abuse. “The images and messages showed a careless disregard for the welfare of the children,” said Judge Rees. The third member of the alleged trio, 28-year-old Mandy, was jailed for her part in the crimes, including possessing images of child se* abuse. 

Testimony revealed that police officers discovered hundreds of images of se-ual abuse of children taken by the trio. Rees said that Matthew, in particular, “descended into the darkest of places. He discovered that he was capable of doing the most dreadful things. He was caught up in something that he found very difficult to get out of. It was a dreadful thing that was taking place.” A medical examination of one of the young victims showed signs of “chronic se-ual abuse,” according to the court. 

The pattern of abuse was discovered after Matthew was caught trying to meet a girl who claimed to be 14 he came into contact with on Facebook. When the meeting took place, the girl reported him to the police. Judge Rees sentenced Matthew to 26 years, Emily to 12 years, and Mandy to 7 years. In total, Matthew was charged with 15 offenses, including ra-e and se-ual assault of a child. Thomson was charged with 16 offenses, including se-ual assault and inciting a child to engage in se-ual activity. Wright was charged with five offenses which were not specified.