An expert in child pornography who lectured police and criminal prosecutors on how to protect children was jailed for seven years for subjecting three young girls to "systematic sexual abuse".
Stephen King, 54, lived a double life, recommending appropriate sentences for paedophiles while at the same time carrying out sexual offences against the three girls.
He had sex with one girl who was just 10 years old, London's Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court heard. King, of Hurst Street, Herne Hill, south London, pleaded guilty to 21 counts including sex with a girl under 13 years, 10 counts of indecent assault, six charges of indecency with a child and four counts of taking indecent photographs of a child.
Passing sentence, Judge Fabyan Evans said King, who was credited in the final recommendations in the Court of Appeal for offering advice on sentences for paedophiles. had abused his position as a self-professed expert on child abuse.
Judge Fabyan Evans condemned King's actions.
He said: "It was depraved, corrupt and persistent behaviour on vulnerable young girls.
"You took advantage of three of them, one with learning difficulties."
Speaking outside the court, Detective Inspector Neil Thompson of the Metropolitan Police paedophile unit said he was happy with the sentence passed down.
"Stephen King, in my view, is a devious predatory paedophile who's preyed on vulnerable children in this country for over three decades," he said.
Mr Thompson praised the three girls who came forward and gave evidence and said it had had a "horrendous effect" on their lives.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd 2004, All Rights Reserved.
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