A HEREFORD teenager has been jailed for four years for 31 online sexual offences involving more than 90 victims.

Thomas Pryce, 19, of Cornewall Street, Hereford, made online contact with his victims pretending to be a teenage girl; he groomed his victims and asked them to send indecent images which he then distributed.

Following an investigation by West Mercia Police a search of his computer equipment was carried out, indecent images and videos were recovered and it emerged that he had contacted more than 90 children online.

He was jailed at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday for a total of four years after admitting 15 counts of making indecent photographs of a child, 13 counts of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and three counts of distributing indecent images of children.

Pryce was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life and was given an eight-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO).

Detective Constable Anna Duckering from West Mercia Police said: "Thomas Pryce's online activity involved targeting young victims via social media platforms. I would like to praise the courage of these young people who have shown considerable bravery in supporting the case being brought to court.

"Some people still think they can hide behind a false identity online in an attempt to commit offences. Today's sentence sends a clear message that they can't hide behind a computer and we will continue to use all of the resources available to us to bring offenders to justice."

Police are reminding people to stay safe while using the internet and be on their guard against suspicious interaction from strangers.

Police urge anyone who is being asked to do something they feel uncomfortable about online to tell someone, call police on 101 or visit www.ceop.police.uk/safety-centre.