AN “UNREPENTANT” paedophile who shared fantasies about raping children as well as pictures and films of child abuse with like-minded people on WhatsApp has been jailed.

Serial sex offender Stephen Sellars, 62, is back behind bars after being locked up at Newport Crown Court for committing further “hideous offences”.

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Prosecutor Nicholas Gedge told how one film the defendant downloaded was a particularly “disturbing” movie involving a seemingly unconscious baby boy.

He said Sellars used a pay-as-you-go mobile to carry out his crimes and detectives found CCTV footage to show him topping up the incriminating phone in a supermarket.

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Gwent Police officers began investigating the defendant after they got a tip-off from the National Crime Agency.

They found so many child abuse images on his phone “they gave up counting”.

Mr Gedge said: “He used (instant messaging apps) WhatsApp and Wickr to chat. There were 234 pages from WhatsApp.

“The defendant had conversations with others where fantasies and thoughts were aired and developed about wishes to rape children.

“He said he enjoyed going to parks with sunglasses on to look at children.

“They were encouraging each other in their desires about young children.”

Sellars, of St Cenydd Road, Trecenydd, Caerphilly, pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing indecent images of children.

He also admitted three charges of making indecent images of children and one of possession of an extreme pornographic image involving an animal.

Mr Gedge said Sellars was jailed at Carmarthen Crown Court in 2009 for distributing indecent images of children.

Jeffrey Jones, representing the defendant, said: “His best mitigation are his early guilty pleas."

Judge Timothy Petts told Sellars: “You are a determined and unrepentant paedophile. You have committed further hideous offences.

“You have played your part in the fuelling the demand for the sexual abuse of young children.

“The police gave up counting how many indecent images you had.

“The investigating officer said some were of the most disturbing content he had ever witnessed.”

The defendant was jailed for three years and two months.

He must register as a sex offender for life.

Outside the court, an NSPCC Cymru spokesperson said: “The grim online trade of images and videos of children being abused is possible because of the actions of people like Sellars who download and share them for personal sexual gratification.

“The trauma experienced by children who are abused, often by the very adults who should be protecting them, can last long into adulthood should they go without the relevant support.

“This case is yet another example of why big tech companies and social networks need to be held to account if they fail to take action to remove this type of content from their sites, which is what we want to see from the UK Government’s forthcoming Online Harms Bill and have been pushing for with our Wild West Web campaign.”

Children and young people can speak with a Childline counsellor confidentially online or on the phone 7.30am, midnight Monday to Friday, and 9am, midnight on Saturdays and Sundays, via childline.org.uk or 0800 1111.

Any adults concerned about a child’s wellbeing can contact the NSPCC helpline at help@nspcc.org.uk or on 0808 800 5000.