A PREDATORY paedophile who targeted two teenage girls on the internet has been jailed for six years.

Keith Butcher, 36, contacted his first victim, a 12-year-old girl, via a chatroom.

He “groomed” her over several months before trying to encourage her to perform a sexual act on a webcam.

Butcher of Longfield Road, Wickford, tried unsuccessfully to lure the girl into meeting him or giving him her address and phone number.

He did, however manage to persuade the girl to expose part of her body on a webcam.

Three months after the offence, last September, Butcher used the internet to prey on a second girl, this time a 15-year-old.

Yesterday, at Basildon Crown Court, Judge Rupert Overbury told Butcher: “In my judgement, you manipulated these young girls to the extent these offences were committed via a webcam.

“You manipulated the situation almost to the extent of meeting these children. Luckily, you didn’t because their parents intervened.

“Plainly, you are someone who derives sexual gratification from contact with young children.

“You are prepared to take extensive risks to satisfy your particular sexual deviances.”

Butcher committed the offences while already subject to a sexual offences prevention order, banning him from using the internet to contact children.

He was given the order after being convicted of possessing child porn in October 2006.

Judge Overbury imposed a lifelong order on Butcher and also place him on the sex offenders’ register for life.

He added: “Despite the fact you were being supervised by the probation service and despite the fact the police were entitled to enter your home to monitor your movements, you were determined to have contact with children for your own sexual gratification.”

The new order bans Butcher from seeking or being in the company of anyone under 16 unless in the presence of the child’s parent or guardian.

He has also, effectively been banned from using the internet, from communicating via electronic devices with anyone under 16, and associating or communicating with other convicted sex offenders Butcher, admitted causing or inciting a child under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and two counts of breaching his sex offender’s order.

The court also ordered the destruction of Butcher’s computer hard drive.