A PREDATORY paedophile who blackmailed his vulnerable victims into committing degrading sex acts has been jailed for nine years.

Peter Jeffrey made contact with young girls over the internet and had them film themselves with web cams for his sexual gratification.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Jeffrey adopted different personalities, threatening one young young victim by saying he would falsely accuse her father of a crime he did not commit, while at the same time trying to appear sympathetic.

The 29-year-old had been bailed in 2011 in respect of offences against three young girls, but went onto commit further offences against a fourth vulnerable victim.

Judge Howard Crowson said: “This was a catalogue of predatory paedophile acts upon young girls who should have been safe in their own homes, but were not.”

Referring to one of the complainants, he said: “She was prepared to act in a way that was degrading and distressing.

“This was an appalling catalogue of offending. You are in my view a manipulative paedophile.”

Jeffrey admitted thirteen counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and two further offences of making indecent photos.

He was made subject to an indefinite sexual offences prevention order and will have to register as a sex offender with the police.

Jeffrey, of Ellison Street, Hartlepool, handed up a letter in expressing his shame, while his barrister Duncan Mullarkey urged the judge to take into account the totality of his offending.

Judge Crowson said he had considered imposing an indefinite sentence on Jeffrey for the public protection, but decided that a determinate jail term was sufficient and proportionate.

He said nine years was the least sentence he could pass.

Detective Constable Karl Hunt, of Cleveland police, said: “We take all reports of sexual abuse online extremely seriously I hope that this sentence provides victims of such abuse the confidence to come forward.”