Warning for parents as Cornwall paedophile is jailed

Published on Friday 24 September 2010 18:44

Parents have been warned that their children are not safe from paedophiles even in their own bedrooms as one of Britain's worst ever internet child sex abusers was jailed for eight-and-a-half years.

Postman Michael Williams, 29, used Facebook, Bebo and MSN Messenger to groom up to 1,000 children across Britain.

He used his trusted position in the community as a taxi driver and as a postman to target young girls on his rounds in Penryn, Cornwall, two of whom he later had sex with.

Truro Crown Court heard Williams persuaded at least 460 to perform sex acts on webcams for him which he recorded and kept on meticulously catalogued computer files.

Andrew Macfarlane, prosecuting, said Williams posed online as a 15-year-old girl called "Gorgeous Charlie" accompanied by pictures of a Ukrainian porn star and as a boy of the same age called James .

"The defendant has for many years groomed and corrupted hundreds of children across the country," he said.

Bisexual Williams was fascinated by child killers and police found cuttings about Soham murderer Ian Huntley at his flat. He was only caught when one of his young victims, then aged 15, summoned the courage to contact police after finding child pornography on his computer.

Judge Paul Darlow awarded her 500 from public funds for her courage in going to the police and the court was told that but for her actions children would still be being abused.

Williams admitted eight offences of sexual activity with a child, 13 of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, three of meeting a child following grooming, two of making indecent images and one of voyeurism. All the charges were specimens, reflecting five years of constant internet grooming and he asked for another four cases to be considered which reflected a further 460 known victims.