AN EXPERT in child porno- graphy who lectured police and criminal prosecutors on how to protect children was jailed for seven years yesterday for subjecting three young girls to "systematic sexual abuse". Stephen King, 54, lived a double life, recommending appropriate sentences for paedophiles while at the same time carrying out sexual offences against the three girls.

He had sex with one girl who was just ten years old, London’s Middlesex Guildhall Crown Court heard. King, of Hurst Street, Herne Hill, south London, pleaded guilty to 21 counts, including sex with a girl under 13 years, ten counts of indecent assault, six charges of indecency with a child and four counts of taking indecent photographs of a child.

Passing sentence, Judge Fabyan Evans said King, who was credited in the final recommendations in the Court of Appeal for offering advice on sentences for paedophiles, had abused his position as a self-professed expert on child abuse. He said: "It was depraved, corrupt and persistent behaviour on vulnerable young girls. "You took advantage of three of them, one with learning difficulties." Speaking outside the court, Detective Inspector Neil Thompson, of the Metropolitan Police paedophile unit, said he was happy with the sentence.

"Stephen King, in my view, is a devious predatory paedophile who’s preyed on vulnerable children in this country for over three decades."

Mr Thompson praised the three girls who came forward and gave evidence and said it had had a "horrendous effect" on their lives.

The officer made a nationwide appeal for any other possible victims of King to come forward and contact police. He also urged anyone who had known King over the years to get in touch. Mr Thompson described King as a "self-proclaimed expert on the Children’s Act and pornography - he made it his life’s work".

He said King had helped organise conferences for criminal agencies across the justice system but had not directly lectured police officers.

"He has assisted defence lawyers with clients who have been charged," he said.

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