Worthing paedophile Jordan Croft jailed after blackmailing teenagers

A man who admitted targeting girls as young as 12 online and blackmailing them into "sexual slavery" has been jailed for 18 years.

Jordan Croft, from Worthing, West Sussex, admitted 65 offences relating to 26 girls and women aged between 12 and 22 at Lewes Crown Court in August.

Police found he had more than 900 indecent images of children.

He will also spend eight years on licence and be on the sex offenders' register for life.

The 26-year-old posed as a teenage boy to befriend his victims, and once he obtained graphic images of them he would reveal his true age and admit being a "catfish" and a paedophile.

They were then blackmailed into sending photos and videos of themselves performing sexual and degrading acts on themselves and others.

If they did not comply he would threaten to expose them to their family or social media followers.

National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators found he had been in contact with more than 5,000 people on one platform alone and was eventually linked to 20 online profiles across four different messaging platforms.

Martin Ludlow, senior investigating officer at the NCA, said: "The sexual depravity he displayed is horrific.

"Croft thrived on the power he was able to exert over the victims.

"He showed no compassion, pushing them to breaking point and issuing threats, even when they begged him to stop."

Croft will be subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order preventing him from contacting his victims.

Iryna Pona, Policy Manager at The Children's Society, said: "This truly horrific abuse will have caused unimaginable trauma for these girls and it's crucial they now get help to recover and rebuild their lives."

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