A paedophile who posed as a model scout to lure child victims has admitted 88 sex offences.

David Harmes, 27, pleaded guilty to crimes involving 39 victims in the UK and six in the USA over a six-month period between July 2019 and February 2020.

He was remanded in custody at Chester Crown Court on Monday ahead of his sentencing on September 5.

Cheshire Police said his “deceit and manipulation was to fuel his twisted obsession”.

Harmes targeted youngsters aged between six and 15, all of whom except one were female.

Police said he used a number of disguises and would draw his victims in after spotting them on YouTube or Instagram.

Harmes, from, Winsford, Cheshire, would often pose as a model scout, “Jess”, who claimed to be working for major clothing outlets.

Detective superintendent Simon Draco said: “This has been a complex and meticulous investigation with international based victims that has resulted in the conviction of Harmes and will bring justice for the victims of his offending.”

Harmes had finished serving a sentence for similar offences around five months before he began committing more crimes.

Investigating officer detective sergeant Mark Naylor said: “Having received intelligence that Harmes was offending, his laptops, phones and other digital devices were seized in a warrant at his address, and Harmes was returned to prison for breaching his Sex Offender Notification Order on 8 February 2020 preventing him from committing further crimes.”

He was linked to the crimes by his distinctive bedding in images found on his devices and footage of him accidentally opening his laptop and filming his face for just a few seconds.

The charges included possessing, making and distributing indecent images, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, sexual communication with a child and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Detective superintendent Draco added: “Cheshire Constabulary has an investigation team dedicated to targeting those who sexually abuse and offend against children online and teams across the force work with partners to educate children, parents and carers about online predators, to safeguard children from potential harm.

“We’re really keen to drum home the message that parents and carers need to know what their children are doing online in order to protect them from predators like Harmes.

“We all know that we need to teach children not to speak to strangers in the street, but we need to drive home that very same message for the online world too, to prevent people like Harmes taking advantage.”

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