Postman jailed for child sex abuse

A paedophile postman who used Facebook and Bebo accounts to groom hundreds of children for sex was jailed for eight-and-a-half years yesterday.

After creating at least eight fake online profiles, Michael Williams, 29, targeted young people he met on his post round, on school runs as a taxi driver, and in his role as secretary of a football club.

At an earlier hearing at Truro Crown Court, Williams admitted 27 charges of inciting sexual activity, grooming and distributing indecent images. He also pleaded guilty to voyeurism and possessing indecent images.

Devon and Cornwall Police have identified 500 victims he groomed or abused, but believe there could be up to 1,000 victims in total.

Williams, from Penryn in Cornwall, worked as a postman in his home town, where he was regarded as cheerful and helpful. But online he pursued children over social networking sites, sometimes using false names and posing as a teenager.

Many of his victims were tricked into performing sex acts on a webcam, but he persuaded others to meet him in various locations, including his home, where he abused them.