A former company boss has been jailed after grooming a child he met on Kik messenger.

David Smith, 57, shared disgusting images and videos while chatting to the child, Maidstone Crown Court heard.

After being confronted, he told police: "Oh God, this is the end my life"

The 57-year-old - who used the alias 'Kentguy' - was caught after he began a separate two-hour conversation on '#1 Chatavenue' with 'Jacob', who he believed was a 12-year-old schoolboy.

But prosecutor Martin Yale said it was an undercover police officer.

As a result, police raided Smith's home and seized a hidden iPad which revealed he had also been talking to a real child.

Smith, of Queripel Close, Tunbridge Wells, admitted three charges of attempting to groom children in 2020 and sending a naked image of himself and requesting pictures of his victim.

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He was jailed for 28 months and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years

Judge Julian Smith told him his second victim was a real child who was "exploring his sexuality".

He said: "He sent Smith five pictures of himself and a video. This wasn't a classic case of grooming and this was not face-to-face contact. But the encouragement he gave to the child was sophisticated and effective.

"They talked about meeting up but it may well be it was just part of Smith's fantasy and he intended nothing of the sort. There was no subsequent meeting and the conversation took 45 minutes... but the impact on the child was real."

Nichola Cafferkey, defending, said Smith was suffering from low self-esteem and the chats were a form of "escapism" and he never intended to meet the children.