A MAN linked to the large-scale sex abuse by a paedophile ring has been jailed indefinitely under a sentence for public protection.

Vincent Jordan did not actually engage in sexual activity with children but incited others to carry out his depraved bidding.

The 47-year-old married father was told he would have to serve five years less almost eight months already spent in custody before he is considered for release.

Jordan, of Worsley, Manchester, was traced through emails found on a computer used by former soldier Steven Horton in an investigation codenamed Operation Starlight.

Horton, 44, of Burkestone Close, Kemsley, Sittingbourne, was last month also locked up indefinitely. He will have to serve five-and-a-half years before being considered for release.

Maidstone Crown Court heard that Jordan, an accounts manager for a computer software company, used his wife's email address to pose as a woman.

When police raided his home on January 11, his wife was also arrested. Jordan made it clear his wife was not involved.

Anthony Haycroft, prosecuting, said multiple sexual abuse of children had centred around Horton. Various emails from Jordan were on his computer.

He admitted that 18 CDs in his car had child porn on them. Some of the 2,280 photos and 155 film clips were at the highest level of five, which includes torture.

Mr Haycroft said some of the children had been identified.

Jordan also made contact with a father calling himself Animal Magic and incited him to abuse his child. A photo of such abuse was found on one of Jordan's CDs.

In August last year, Jordan attempted to persuade an unknown man to kidnap a child and commit rape. Another father sent Jordan indecent pictures of his child, aged under two.

Jordan admitted two charges of incitement to rape, two charges of incitement to cause sexual activity with a child, incitement to cause child pornography, incitement to kidnap, incitement to take indecent photographs of a child, nine charges of making indecent photographs of children and three charges of distributing indecent photographs of a child.

Horton was sentenced along with school governor and former Army major Archibald Wood, 60, of Tavistock, Devon, and Monica McCanch, 55, formerly of Ash, near Canterbury.

Wood was jailed for seven years and McCanch, now of Montego Bay, Jamaica, was sentenced to six years.