A 31-YEAR-OLD paedophile who went on holiday with a 15-year-old girl and her family after convincing them he was a teenager has been jailed for six years.

Clinton Stothard, of Well Hill Grove, Royston, groomed the girl on the internet and tricked her into thinking he was her boyfriend.

He also targeted a number of other girls online and encouraged them to send sexually explicit photos to him.

One of his victims, a 14-year-old from Bristol, exchanged more than 3,000 calls and texts with him during a two week period.

He was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court, where his honour Judge Peter Kelson QC described him as ‘every parent’s worst nightmare’ and a ‘a shark swimming in the waters of the internet... preying on children.’

Stothard had previously pleaded guilty to a total of 18 indictments relating to 39 offences against four children.

He will also be subject to an extended period on licence for 12 months and a sexual harm prevention order which will prevent him from living with anyone under 18 and allowing police to monitor his internet use.

Stothard was identified by officers working on Operation Topaz, Avon and Somerset’s Bristol-based pilot tackling child sexual exploitation in the city, after concerns were raised about his contact with a vulnerable girl in the city.

The extent of his offending was revealed after his electronic devices were examined following his arrest.

The investigation also led to the arrest of another man who has since been jailed for four years for child sex offences.

Owen Hall, 26, of Hartcliffe, Bristol, groomed the same 14-year-old Bristol girl targeted by Stothard and incited her to engage in sexual activity.

Det Con Kim O’Donnell said: “Clinton Stothard is a predatory paedophile who masqueraded as a 19-year-old and used a variety of aliases as he befriended and groomed his victims.

“Such was the extent of his deceit that he effectively groomed one girl’s entire family winning their trust so much they felt comfortable taking him on holiday.

“The intensity of his grooming was quite frankly shocking, with another of his victims bombarded with thousands of calls and texts over a short period of time.

“I hope the sentence handed down by the court goes some way to providing all those he preyed on with some sense of closure and that this case sends a message to those who commit such crimes, that we are committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society and geography will not be a barrier for us.”