A "DARK and devious" paedophile from Coulsdon who preyed on children playing online games such as Call of Duty has been jailed after being caught in the act.
Aaron Honey, 21, of Clover Hill, was arrested at his home while in the process of downloading indecent pictures from his computer last July.
He pleaded guilty to 24 offences involving seven young victims at Guildford Crown Court on Wednesday and was given a five year prison term with an extended licence period of four years.
Among the charges he admitted were seven counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity involving seven victims, two counts of blackmail and one count of causing or inciting child prostitution or pornography.
Honey also admitted seven counts of distributing indecent photos of a child, five counts of making indecent photos of a child, one count of possessing prohibited images of a child and one count of possessing extreme pornography.
The court heard how he incited young boys and girls to send him indecent images of themselves after contacting them on mobile phone apps and computer game chat rooms.
The investigation into Honey started when the mother of an 11-year-old boy told Surrey Police her son had been communicating with a person called Aaron on his games console and Facebook.
Surrey Police's Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT) discovered Honey had asked The boy to send him naked pictures.
POLIT's investigation discovered he had targeted children across the world and traced victims to England, Wales, Scotland, the USA and Australia.
When officers raided Honey's home last July at 6.30am he was caught in the act of downloading indecent images from his computer to his phone.
A subsequent search of his phone discovered 368 indecent images in addition to incriminating chat logs and contacts.
He used instant chat mobile apps such as Kik Messenger and WhatsApp to groom children as well as on the online chat facilities of games such as Call of Duty and FIFA.
A number of victims were interviewed by police and it emerged Honey had pressured them into sending him photos.
In two cases where young girls refused, Honey blackmailed them by threatening to distribute other images of them online or on fake Facebook accounts.
While on bail following his initial arrest, Honey had continued to contact children, leading to him being remanded in custody following a further arrest in September.
He will not be eligible for release until three quarters of his five year term has been served and only if the parole board considers him no longer dangerous.
Honey was also given a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) with a number of conditions prohibiting him from having contact with children under 16 and limiting any usage of the internet.
PC Paula Hayward, from Surrey Police's POLIT team, said: "Honey is a dark and devious individual who was adept at using different ways to engage with vulnerable young people online.
"Our investigation showed that he was contacting children all over the world whom he would groom and manipulate into sending him indecent pictures which he would often share with other paedophiles.
"He has proven to be a prolific and predatory offender - even when officers knocked at his door in the early morning to arrest him they disturbed him downloading indecent images of children.
"This was a complex case with some victims living thousands of miles away but the evidence we secured now means Honey is now behind bars for a considerable time.
"I hope today's hearing sends a message that we will leave no stone unturned in bringing those who target young children online to justice. This case should also serve as a warning to all parents and young people to be on their guard against individuals like Honey who use a variety of ways such as online gaming to make contact with children."
