A MANIPULATIVE paedophile who used a popular online chat platform to trick children into sending him sexual images and videos has been jailed for 14 years.

Jordan Reid, 30, led sexually charged conversations with 95 children on Discord while he posed as a child himself.

The defendant, from Colchester, told the youngsters to sexually abuse themselves while filming it and then send the content to him.

Reid, who pretended to be a 14-year-old girl or boy depending on his victim, would then send the graphic videos to other children and urge them to return the gesture.

Gazette: Raid - police officers discovered the extent of Reid's crimes when they raided his former home in WithamRaid - police officers discovered the extent of Reid's crimes when they raided his former home in Witham (Image: N/A)

Jerry Hayes, prosecuting at Chelmsford Crown Court, said Reid ran an “indecent image swap shop” using real life children.

He said some content Reid shared involved children as young as seven years old being raped.

The defendant was caught out when police raided his previous home in Witham and seized a number of electronic devices later found to contain hundreds of indecent images and videos of children.

Officers analysed Reid’s Discord account found on one of the devices and discovered his campaign of child abuse.

Gazette: Manipulative - Reid tricked children by posing as a 14-year-old on DiscordManipulative - Reid tricked children by posing as a 14-year-old on Discord (Image: Alexander Shatov/Unsplash)

Recorder William Clegg KC said the catalogue of offending was “truly staggering” as he condemned Reid to 14 years behind bars.

He said: “You have indiscriminately groomed and manipulated young children… to abuse themselves, both young boys and girls.

“You deceived them into thinking you were also a young adolescent.

“What you were in fact doing was satisfying your own perverted sexual needs and then distributing the pictures they had sent you.”

Gazette: Jail time - Reid was jailed for 14 years at Chelmsford Crown CourtJail time - Reid was jailed for 14 years at Chelmsford Crown Court (Image: ANDRA MACIUCA)

Mr Clegg added: “You have done untold damage to those children, wherever they are, and no one will ever know what psychological harm you have caused.”

Reid, of Victoria Gardens, Colchester, admitted three offences of making indecent images of a child and three offences of distributing an indecent image of a child.

He also admitted inciting children to engage in both penetrative and non-penetrative sexual acts and four offences of causing a child to watch a video showing sexual activity.

Daniel O’Malley, mitigating, said Reid wanted to “unreservedly apologise” for his actions.