An electrician who shared videos online of himself raping a young girl he had drugged has been jailed.

Thomas Gwilliam-Carter was identified by British investigators after abuse images he posted were found on devices belonging to a suspect in the US later arrested by the FBI, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

Logs showed the 39-year-old, using an online pseudonym, told other paedophiles over an encrypted chat app he planned to drug and then sexually assault a child.

Child sexual abuse is a global threat and this case highlights why the NCA’s close co-operation with international partners is so vital in tackling it

Gwilliam-Carter, of Caswell Road in Leominster, Herefordshire, then shared videos of the attack, later admitting he had drugged the victim.

Agents raided his home on October 1, seizing his phone, on which were found 3,651 indecent images of children, including some of the most serious criminal category.

Appearing at Worcester Crown Court on November 7, Gwilliam-Carter admitted one count of rape of a child under 13, three charges of making indecent images of children, and five counts of distributing illegal images.

He was jailed for 15 years and nine months on Thursday, the NCA said.

Gwilliam-Carter was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for life.

Speaking after sentencing, NCA operations manager Phil Eccles said: “Gwilliam-Carter inflicted the most terrible abuse on a young girl and distributed videos he’d made of it online, all for his and other paedophiles’ pleasure.”

He added: “Child sexual abuse is a global threat and this case highlights why the NCA’s close co-operation with international partners is so vital in tackling it.

“We also work tirelessly to protect those affected by child sexual abuse and disrupt offenders who pose a sexual threat to children, ensuring they face justice.”