A sexual predator who got “a thrill” from preying on underage girls with explicit chats on Facebook messenger has been jailed.

Michael Hughes encouraged his three victims to perform sexual acts on themselves, and to send him images of them doing so.

The 62-year-old also sent the girls photos of genitals.

But, unbeknown to the pervert, he was in fact communicating with online paedophile hunters who had set up fictitious ‘decoy’ profiles as part of a sting.

Following his arrest in June 2021, he candidly confessed to police that the conversations had given him a “sexual thrill”.

But he also claimed that he had been simply giving “sex education” to one of the victims, and had asked another about “d**k pics” because he wanted to warn her about online dangers.

Hughes admitted multiple offences and appeared before Maidstone Crown Court for his sentencing hearing last Tuesday (October 29).

The offender, who was living in the Medway area at the time, groomed the three “girls”, purporting to be aged 11, 12 and 13, over a period of three months.

Maidstone Crown Court heard their ages were clearly stated from the outset of the chats with Hughes.

His explicit messages included instructions on how to masturbate, telling the 'girls' to "think of my c**k" and "think of me touching you".

Hughes told another that she was "pretty and bright" before asking if she wanted "to chat about sex", saying "We can be boyfriend and girlfriend on here".

Bartholomew O'Toole, defending, told the court the offences were “borne out of fantasy and disenchantment” after his 20-year-long relationship with his partner “turned sour and distant”.

He also told the court that Hughes had “succumbed to temptation” after answering messages that arrived in his inbox, adding that the victims were not ones “hunted down by a predator”.

But the lawyer said although the sex offender did not actually receive any indecent images or send images of his own penis, he did not “seek to demur” from his frank admissions made to police.

“He has expressed his shame, embarrassment and remorse,” added Mr O'Toole. “His words to his solicitor were ‘I very much regret this behaviour. I'm ashamed of myself for behaving in this way’.”

The court was also told that having been a boxing champion, Hughes used his building skills to work hard all his life and provide for his family.

However, his arrest has left him living in a caravan “in a field or garden”, said the barrister, and he no longer has contact with them.

But Mr O'Toole said the three-year delay in Hughes’s case reaching its conclusion was not his fault.

Having been interviewed in June 2021, his first appearance before magistrates was not until April this year.

These are disgusting offences…

He then pleaded guilty to a total of eight offences relating to attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Jailing Hughes for three years, Judge Gareth Branston told him custody was inevitable.

“These are disgusting offences. You were potentially preying on vulnerable, young children,” he said.

On his release, Hughes will be subject to a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years as well as indefinite sex offender notification requirements.