A Harrogate man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to 17 child sex offences.
Dale Tyson’s crimes included sexual communication with a child and distributing indecent images of a child.
Tyson, of Christina Street, used an alter ego online to talk to children and get them to send sexual images of themselves.
York Crown Court heard he would pretend to be a young North American man to build stronger relationships with his victims in order to obtain more graphic images.
The 17 offences related to 10 children in the UK and USA. However, North Yorkshire Police said in a statement it believes there are many more.
Tyson pleaded guilty to seven counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, six counts of making indecent photographs of a child, three counts of intentionally encouraging an offence and sexual communication with a child.
North Yorkshire Police Detective Sergeant Steven Alderson said:
“This case really highlights the fact that it is almost impossible to know if the person you are speaking to online is who they claim to be.
“The young victims who came forward showed incredible bravery in speaking to the police about what happened to them and in speaking out they have helped protect many more young people from Tyson’s deplorable behaviour.
“The investigation spanned the UK and USA, with fantastic work from our investigators at North Yorkshire Police who managed to locate a number of these victims, without whom the case would not have been so strong.”
Tyson, whose trial was heard on Friday, is also subject to a sexual harm prevention order for an indefinite period.
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North Yorkshire Police added that anyone who thinks they or their child may have been a victim of online abuse should report it to the police.
If you are worried about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating with you online and you would prefer not to speak to the police, you can report confidentially online through the child exploitation and online protection command centre here.
The NSPCC also has a range of resources for parents to help them keep children safe online.