A paedophile who set up online chat rooms to distribute indecent images of children has been jailed.

Christopher Ball, 50, was arrested at his home in Kilndown Close, Ashford, last January after police received information he had posted an indecent image on Facebook.

On his computers, Kent Police's Paedophile Online Investigation Team uncovered a large number of indecent images of children, including more than 1,200 category A images – the most serious kind.

As well as the photos and moving clips, officers found evidence Ball had repeatedly tried to contact children through the internet and incite them to commit sexual acts.

More than 20 chat logs were found from between November 2019 and January 2020, which showed him contacting children in a number of countries and sending them explicit clips.

He had also set up and managed online chat rooms, where more than 400 indecent images and moving clips were shared with others.

Ball was charged with 44 offences, including multiple charges of possessing, distributing and making indecent images of a child, attempting to sexually communicate with a child, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

"The children abused in the making of these images are real victims of crime and offenders like Ball create a demand for this terrible abuse to be carried out."

He admitted all of the offences at Folkestone Magistrates' Court on May 26 this year.

At Canterbury Crown Court yesterday, he was jailed for eight years and ordered to serve an extra two years on licence.

He was made the subject of an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order which will prohibit him from using any device capable of accessing the internet without police knowledge, and will strictly limit his contact with children, as well as other restrictions.

Det Con Lee Sparks, investigating officer for the Paedophile Online Investigation Team, said: "These were particularly serious offences as evidence showed Ball had repeatedly attempted to persuade children to commit sexual acts and was instrumental in sharing images and clips with others online.

"The children abused in the making of these images are real victims of crime and offenders like Ball create a demand for this terrible abuse to be carried out.

"I would urge anyone who suspects someone they know of viewing or sharing such images to report it immediately, either through the Kent Police website, by calling 101 or dialling 999 if a crime is in progress."

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