A Penryn postman who groomed his child victims online and went on to sexually assault them in parks and public places in the area has been jailed for eight and a half years.

Michael James Williams, 29, of Tresooth Lane, Penryn targeted and abused hundreds of victims and was described by police officers investigating the case as predatory, manipulative and prolific offender".

Williams pleaded guilty to 27 separate counts of inciting sexual activity, grooming and distributing indecent images in May and will now have to sign the sex offenders’ register for life. He was said to have targeted children on his post round, as a taxi driver and as secretary of Falmouth Football Club.

Speaking only to confirm his name Williams trembled noticeably during the court hearing, wringing his hands and grasping a large wooden cross hanging from his neck.

Judge Paul Darlow said that Williams' behaviour reflected the “calculated and targeted corruption of pre-pubescent and pubescent girls and boys” from as young as ten years old to 16 years old.

Speaking directly to Williams he said: “Your web of deceit has in fact infected hundreds of children. The methods employed by you were to sexually target children by means that you knew would be popular with them, such as Facebook and Bebo.

He said that they were they were lulled into a false sense of security and that Williams used detailed questionnaires to gain intimate details about their family and school life and information which he used for his own “sexual gratification”.

He said: “A further aspect was to go on and abuse in the actual community where you lived.

“As a postman, a taxi driver and as secretary of Falmouth football club you had access to children in your community. As a result of the Internet you were able to groom children in your community. In some cases this sexual grooming led to sexual encounters. The sexual encounters went as far as full sexual intercourse.

“The indictment names eight children. Un-named are the anonymous child victims of child pornography and also un-named are the children involved in the offences the court has taken into account.”

Calling the effects on the young victims, “harrowing reading”, he said that the effects of the abuse on the young must be the courts most important consideration but that he could not overlook the “corrosive” effect of William’s behaviour on the families and the wider community, when it came to passing sentence.

Williams was given credit for the time he had already served.

Sentenced to eight and half years for all charges, in addition to the prison sentence - half of which must be served and the rest suspended – he must register as a sex offender.

He Cannot possess any computer or mobile phone equipment that has an Internet connection unless supervised or as part of a job and then only with supervision. Cannot have any contact with any children under the age of 16, except accidental or in normal daily life Cannot undertake any voluntary service in which children under 16 are involved Speaking after the sentencing DI Simon Snell said it was not for him to comment on the length of the sentence, and that it could have been for longer and could have been for shorter, but the most important thing was that he had been jailed.

Paying tribute to the bravery of victims he said that it was not often that senior police officer saw the effect of these crimes on the victims but that as was clear by the victims who attended court that the effects of Williams perversions had had a devastating effect.

He said: “You probably heard the word corrosive in court today on a number of occasions. Depravity and corrosive are probably the words I would use against Michael Williams.

"He preyed on young people. He is dangerous and will remain so until he has had the correct treatment."

Full story in next week's Packet.