POLICE officers have been praised for helping to catch a paedophile who abused 22 schoolboys over Skype.

The global investigation concluded with Connor Allen-Howe admitting 31 sex offences and being jailed for eight years.

Judge Emma Peters praised police for their work. An investigation was launched after a victim in Colorado told his parents about the internet predator.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre were called in and then Essex Police.

Following the conviction several agencies have issued warnings to parents about the dangers online.

Michelle Brown, a district Crown Prosecutor in CPS East of England’s Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Unit, said: “Connor Allen-Howe was 16 when his offending began in 2012.

“He posed as a teenage girl and made random contact with young males on line and then encouraged them to chat with him via Skype chat and messenger. This case is a shocking warning of the dangers that exist online, not only of how easy it is for a stranger to make contact with young boys, but also to persuade them to carry out sexual acts on camera. In some instances, these acts were committed on children younger than themselves or involved pet dogs.

“Mr Allen-Howe is responsible for luring these young victims into a sexualised world where perverted behaviour was encouraged and recorded for his gratification. Online abuse such as this is extremely serious and, as the sentence imposed demonstrates, it carries a significant sentence.

“We would urge anyone who suffers abuse online to report it. We continue to work closely with the police and other agencies to support victims and bring abusers to justice.”

Allen-Howe, 21, of Shakespeare Road, Colchester, admitted two counts of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, 19 charges of inciting a child over 13 to engage in sexual activity and eight counts of inciting child pornography by having images sent and two of making indecent images.

Many of the crimes took place when Allen-Howe was still a youth but continued after he turned 18 and only stopped when he was arrested.

Five victims - one of whom lives in the USA, the remaining four reside in the UK - were identified and were prepared to attend court and supported the prosecution. Other victims were traced to Australia, Belgium, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, USA and Wales.

An NSPCC spokesman said: “Online safety is one of the major 21st century child protection challenges and we know the internet is used as a gateway by abusers to commit hundreds of offences against children each year.

“It is vital parents speak to their children about the risks they could face online, so they know how to stay safe.”

The NSPCC’s online safety helpline is available on 0808 800 5002.