A GRANDFATHER who wanted to become a foster parent was unmasked as a sex offender when he went online to prey on schoolgirls.

Brian Jackson thought he was exchanging messages with a 14-year-old when he talked about sex, tried to arrange a meeting and committed a sex act on a webcam.

But the person he was talking to was an undercover police officer, and when the 50-year-old was arrested, pictures and videos of child abuse were found on his computer dating back as far as 2011.

Teesside Crown Court heard that it was “only a few years ago” that the former security guard was vetted by social services as he looked into becoming a foster parent for his grandson.

Jackson, formerly of Ennis Square, Dormanstown, Redcar, was jailed for 14 months, and banned from working with children for life, after he admitted a total of eight charges.

His barrister Nigel Soppitt said the father-of-three is “very much ashamed of what he has done” and is keen to be rehabilitated and do any appropriate courses in prison.

Mr Soppitt told Judge Peter Armstrong: “The punishment will be particularly severe for a man in his 50s, who has had no real family support.

“He will emerge from prison in some time with the stigma as a sex offender attached, and it will be a difficult time.

“He is very much ashamed of what he has done, but he wants to get on with his life and deal with his sentence as soon as possible.”

Mr Soppitt said Jackson’s wife walked out on him, and he was left to bring up their children alone, describing him as “a good family man”.

He immediately confessed to his three daughters after his arrest last May, said the barrister, and while one has stood by him, one has ostracised him and the other is undecided.

The court heard how police raided his home after the online sex chat, and took away a computer which contained a total of 174 indecent images of children - some as young as four.

An examination of the device revealed Jackson had also been sharing the sickening pictures with other paedophiles in Redcar and Newcastle, said prosecutor Rachel Masters.

Mr Soppitt said: “The effect upon his family is devastating, and he feels shame. He is a good family man. It is ironic in these particular circumstances.

“It is only a few years ago he was vetted fully by social services with a view to becoming a foster parent for his grandson without any problems at all, no red flags.

“He has told me he would never have the nerve or the guts to leave the house to carry out those lewd and wholly inappropriate suggestions he was making to this undercover police officer.”

Jackson admitted two charges of attempting to engage in sexual activity with a chid, attempting to cause a child to watch a sex act, two counts of making indecent images of children, and three of distributing the images.

Judge Armstrong also ordered him to sign on the sex offenders’ register, and imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning him from have unsupervised contact with under-18s and restricting his computer and internet use.

A GRANDFATHER who wanted to become a foster parent was unmasked as a sex offender when he went online to prey on schoolgirls.

Brian Jackson thought thought he was exchanging messages with a 14-year-old when he talked about sex, tried to arrange a meeting and committed a sex act on a webcam.

But the person he was talking to was an undercover police officer, and when the 50-year-old was arrested, pictures and videos of child abuse were found on his computer dating back as far as 2011.

Teesside Crown Court heard that it was “only a few years ago” that the former security guard was vetted by social services as he looked into becoming a foster parent for his grandson.

Jackson, formerly of Ennis Square, Dormanstown, Redcar, was jailed for 14 months, and banned from working with children for life, after he admitted a total of eight charges.

His barrister Nigel Soppitt said the father-of-three is “very much ashamed of what he has done” and is keen to be rehabilitated and do any appropriate courses in prison.

Mr Soppitt told Judge Peter Armstrong: “The punishment will be particularly severe for a man in his 50s, who has had no real family support.

“He will emerge from prison in some time with the stigma as a sex offender attached, and it will be a difficult time.

“He is very much ashamed of what he has done, but he wants to get on with his life and deal with his sentence as soon as possible.”

Mr Soppitt said Jackson’s wife walked out on him, and he was left to bring up their children alone, describing him as “a good family man”.

He immediately confessed to his three daughters after his arrest last May, said the barrister, and while one has stood by him, one has ostracised him and the other is undecided.

The court heard how police raided his home after the online sex chat, and took away a computer which contained a total of 174 indecent images of children - some as young as four.

An examination of the device revealed Jackson had also been sharing the sickening pictures with other paedophiles in Redcar and Newcastle, said prosecutor Rachel Masters.

Mr Soppitt said: “The effect upon his family is devastating, and he feels shame. He is a good family man. It is ironic in these particular circumstances.

“It is only a few years ago he was vetted fully by social services with a view to becoming a foster parent for his grandson without any problems at all, no red flags.

“He has told me he would never have the nerve or the guts to leave the house to carry out those lewd and wholly inappropriate suggestions he was making to this undercover police officer.”

Jackson admitted two charges of attempting to engage in sexual activity with a chid, attempting to cause a child to watch a sex act, two counts of making indecent images of children, and three of distributing the images.

Judge Armstrong also ordered him to sign on the sex offenders’ register, and imposed a Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning him from have unsupervised contact with under-18s and restricting his computer and internet use.

Speaking at the end of the case, an NSPCC Spokesperson said: “Jackson is a persistent offender with a sickening sexual interest in children and a complete disregard for the damage indecent images have on the children pictured.

“His attempt to incite an underage girl to engage in illicit acts also suggests that indecent images on their own are not enough to sate his need for sexual gratification, which shows worrying escalation.

“Anyone with concerns about a child or with information about offences against a child can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000.”