Matthew Maddison, the former speed climbing coach of USA Climbing, has been sentenced to up to 15 years in prison in the US state of Utah. The 37-year-old pleaded guilty as part of an agreement with prosecutors to possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material online. USA Climbing had already suspended the British-born Maddison from his duties following his arrest in the spring.
According to several US media reports Maddison was arrested in April after an unnamed social media platform reported a suspicious account containing child pornography. The Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force subsequently identified Maddison as the account owner via his email address.
According to the indictment documents, they found information on his mobile devices. "large quantities" material depicting child sexual abuse was found on his devices. Maddison had also shared more than 30 files on social media. Among the content on Maddison's devices were videos showing the rape of children aged five to seven. The 37-year-old was subsequently arrested.
Charges in 13 cases, three of them serious
Maddison, a British citizen, lives in the US but does not hold US citizenship. After 137 days in custody, he was finally charged with 13 counts of sexual exploitation of minors. Three of the charges involved aggravated exploitation (aggravated sexual exploitation). In Utah, child sexual exploitation describes the knowing possession, viewing, or access to material relating to child sexual abuse. Each file and each affected child is considered a separate crime.
On September 11, the court in Park City sentenced the former climbing instructor to a Prison sentence of at least one and at most 15 yearsDue to Utah's laws regarding indefinite imprisonment, the exact length of the sentence will be determined later by the Parole Board.
Prior to his sentencing, Maddison had, on July 31, during a Agreement with the public prosecutor's office He admitted to possessing material relating to child sexual abuse. In return, three charges of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor and nine further charges of sexual exploitation of a minor were dropped.
Maddison coached the US speed team for three years.
As reported by Climbing Magazine Matthew Maddison had worked as a coach for USA Climbing (USAC) since 2023. As team manager of the speed climbing team and as strength and conditioning coach, he oversaw the athletes' training. During his time at USAC, Maddison also planned their travel and accompanied them to national and international competitions. In 2024, he travelled with the US athletes in speed climbing to the Olympic Games in Paris.
Following the announcement of his arrest, USA Climbing issued a statement via email, expressing its "deep dismay at the allegations," which, however, "had no connection to his [Maddison's] responsibilities as a coach." The organization immediately placed Maddison on unpaid leave "until his case is resolved." In the April statement, USA Climbing also emphasized that all USAC staff members mandatory background checks through and the safety of the athletes is the top priority.
USAC coaching staff: Second child abuse case in four years
This is the second time a former US climbing coach has stood trial for child abuse. In 2022, the 28-year-old USAC coach was convicted. Alexander FritzFritz, who was responsible for the Olympic team at USAC from 2018 to 2019, was sentenced to five years in prison. Fritz had confessed to sexually abusing two 15-year-old girls he had met through climbing over a period of three years.
The US National Climbing Federation has not yet commented on the verdict against Matthew Maddison – not even in response to media inquiries.
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Cover image credits: Jan Virt/IFSC