AN internet predator has been jailed after convincing 22 schoolboys to carry out acts on themselves, pets and siblings over Skype.

Connor Allen-Howe posed as an 18-year-old girl to manipulate boys, aged between 12 and 17 from across the globe while he recorded them.

The paedophile, who had a troubled upbringing, admitted 31 sex offences and was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court today.

Allen-Howe, 21, now of Shakespeare Road, Colchester, committed the offences over the course of a couple of years when he was aged between 16 and 18.

The former Halstead Youth Council spokesman was caught after a boy in the US told his parents what was happening and Allen-Howe's deviancy began to unravel.

Judge Emma Peters, who had to watch some of the depraved videos, told Allen-Howe: "You have a very significant number of victims who have fallen prey to your sexual desires, 15 of whom were under 16, some were just 12-years-old.

"The sustained prolonged nature of your offending and the sheer number of victims who were fooled into performing for your sexual gratification is a very significant feature."

Allen-Howe would fool the boys into thinking he was a girl aged between 17 to 19-years-old.

He would pretend his camera was broken so he could see them but they could not see him.

Allen-Howe had a stockpile of pictures of girls he was pretending to be, across multiple Skype accounts, to send them to keep up the pretence.

Judge Peters said: "You were in fact a man repressing and pretending and being confused by your sexuality.

"You had discovered you were homosexual and you were having difficulty coming to terms.

"You were trying to explore in a way while not coming into contact with real people.

"You would issue your wishes and orders in writing over Skype.

"You asked them to perform quite appalling and disgusting acts.

"Your perversions are deeply troubling.

"One of your victims realised he was dealing with an internet predator.

"He had the bravery to come forward, and thank God he did."

Stephen Levy, mitigating, told the court Allen-Howe had a mixed up childhood.

The court heard his mother had an affair with his uncle, and then married him, meaning family dynamics shifted dramatically.

Mr Levy said: "He struggled to deal with his own sexuality."

He told the court Allen-Howe would self harm and became a recluse before "his world became a virtual world" on a computer screen.

Mr Levy also pointed out Allen-Howe had pleaded guilty and had told police about crimes they were not aware of as he looked for help with his addiction.

Allen-Howe admitted two counts of inciting a child under-13 to engage in sexual activity.

He admitted 19 counts of inciting a child over 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Also eight counts of inciting child pornography by having images sent and two counts of making indecent images.

Many of the crimes took place when Allen-Howe was still a youth but continued after he turned 18 and only stopped when he was arrested.

Judge Peters jailed him for a total of eight years with half to be served on licence.

He will be on the sex offenders' register register indefinitely and has an indefinite sexual harm prevention order.

He was given four consecutive sentences to reach the eight year total.

Allen-Howe was sentenced to one year in jail after, in September 2013, telling a 13-year-old to sexually assault his sleeping sister and carry out an act with his dog.

He was jailed for 18 months consecutively after manipulating a boy under 13 to penetrate himself.

The sentences would have been longer but Allen-Howe was a youth at the time.

He was jailed to two sets of two years and nine months after manipulating boys to penetrate themselves after he turned 18 - making eight years in total.

The remaining 27 counts, including inciting his victims to commit acts with animals, urine and young relatives, will be served concurrently.

Speaking after the case, Detective Sergeant Clayton Ford said: "Allen-Howe used the anonymity of the internet to target young boys, deceiving them into believing they were talking to a teenage girl, before tricking them into the most depraved sex acts and recording them for his own pleasure. 

"From his computer he was able to target victims all over the world and this case highlights the dangers our children face in talking to people online that they do not know personally. 

"If the teenager from Colorado had not come forward to local officers there, then we may not have known about the extent of the offending and many more children may have become victims of sexual exploitation. 

"I would encourage children and parents to look at the www.thinkuknow.co.ukwebsite and Essex Police’s website for further advice. 

"We will continue to target those individuals who look to commit offences against, and exploit, our most vulnerable.” 

An NSPCC spokesman said: “Allen-Howe went to great lengths to commit horrifying crimes against young children across the world.

“The victim who came forward in this case must be praised for his incredible bravery – he has helped to bring Allen-Howe’s sickening campaign of abuse to an end.

"Online safety is one of the major 21st century child protection challenges and we know the internet is used as a gateway by abusers to commit hundreds of offences against children each year.

“It is vital that parents speak to their children about the risks they could face online, so they know how to stay safe.”

The NSPCC’s online safety helpline is available on 0808 800 5002. Children and young people can contact Childline anytime on 0800 1111 or access help online at www.childline.org.uk.