A PAEDOPHILE is facing years behind bars after he committed a catalogue of serious sex offences against six girls aged between nine and 14.

Joel Gillard, 30, from Ebbw Vale has been convicted of 11 child sex offences that he carried out between April 2020 and August 2022.

He admitted six counts of causing or inciting an underage girl to engage in sexual activity and one each of causing a child to watch a sexual act and sexual communication with a child.

Gillard also pleaded guilty to three charges of making an indecent image of a child.

He had 313 category A images, the most serious kind, 88 category B images and 101 category C images.

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The defendant also accepted possession extreme pornographic images showing bestiality.

His head was bowed as he entered his guilty pleas.

He denied four counts of attempting sexual communication with a child and one of sexual communication with a child which will not be pursued, prosecutor Gareth James said.

Gillard, of no fixed abode, is due to be sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court tomorrow after he admitted the charges today.

He was remanded in custody by Judge Lucy Crowther.

The defendant was represented by Jeffrey Jones.