Children 'not even safe in their own bedrooms'

Postman Michael Williams, 29, used Facebook, Bebo and MSN Messenger to groom up to 1,000 children across the country.

He used his trusted position in the community as a taxi driver and as a postman to target young girls on his rounds in Penryn, Cornwall, two of whom he later had sex with.

Truro Crown Court heard Williams persuaded at least 460 to perform sex acts on webcams for him which he recorded and kept on meticulously catalogued computer files.

Andrew Macfarlane, prosecuting, said Williams posed online as a 15-year-old girl called "Gorgeous Charlie" accompanied by pictures of a Ukrainian porn star and as a boy of the same age called James .

"The defendant has for many years groomed and corrupted hundreds of children across the country," he said.

"He utilised aspects of the internet so popular with children – Facebook, Bebo and MSN Messenger.

"The defendant ingratiated himself in the social networking sites of young persons, having gained their confidence, used questionnaires or simple conversations to encourage hundreds of children under the age of 16 years to perform sexual acts for him.

"This was internet sex offending on a previously unseen scale.

"Ironically, in this day and age, many parents don't let their children out at night lest they meet someone like the defendant.

"Instead, they feel they are safe in their bedroom but unknown to the parents some children were meeting the defendant using their computers. It is a chilling reflection."

Bisexual Williams was fascinated by child killers and police found cuttings about Soham murderer Ian Huntley at his flat.

"His sexual preferences are diverse and he has also deceived both male and female adults with his numerous false identities and has filmed, covertly, members of local football teams nude in the showers and young children changing on local beaches," Mr Macfarlane said.

Williams offered mobile phone top-up vouchers if girls posed topless for him on their webcams.

He also threatened other victims into keeping quiet about the sexual abuse, saying they would get into trouble because they were under 16.

"The defendant forbade one of the girls from telling anyone of their relationship, which disappointed her. He said that if people knew they would think that he was a paedophile because he was 12 years older than her," the prosecutor said.

Williams was also a local footballer and secretary of Falmouth Town Football Club.

He abused these positions by installing a secret video camera in the showers and by abusing a 13-year-old boy.

He was only caught when one of his young victims, then aged 15, summoned the courage to contact police after finding disturbing child pornography on his computer.

She was so shocked by what she saw that she was physically sick.

Judge Paul Darlow awarded her 500 from public funds for her courage in going to the police and the court was told that but for her actions children would still be being abused.

When Williams' flat was raided, police recovered four computers, tapes, CDs, USB sticks, a digital camera and video recorders. They found evidence he had filmed children getting undressed on local beaches.

A 'TIMELY WARNING' OVER WEB SAFETY

The social networking internet site Facebook has said that the conviction of Michael Williams serves as a painful reminder that everyone must use extreme caution when talking to or meeting people they only know via the internet.

A spokesman for the firm, which recently launched a 5m campaign to improve user safety, said: "Those who use the internet to groom young people are tenacious in their efforts and have shown that they will use every online and offline opportunity to make contact. Sadly, many of those targeted online do not even realise they are being groomed until it is too late."

Det Insp Simon Snell, who led the Williams investigation, said: "Parents need to make sure their children are not using their computers in their bedroom as they have got no idea who they are speaking to."