UK's worst paedo faces 22 life sentences after abusing 200 kids including baby in nappy

ONE of Britain's worst paedophiles who abused hundreds of children – including a baby wearing a nappy – is facing 22 life sentences.

By Helen Whitehouse

SICK: Paedo Huckle has been sentenced to life in prison

Richard Huckle, 30, took pictures and video of him abusing young girls and boys before bragging about the attacks online.

He even wrote a sick handbook titled "Pedophiles and Poverty: Child Lover guide".

Posing as a student, photographer, English teacher and philanthropist in order to groom young victims, he targeted a poor Christian community in Malaysia.

He sold the sick pictures in exchange for online currency Bitcoins on notorious paedophile website True Love Zone, which exists on the dark web.

In order to fund the abuse he used a paedophile crowdfunding website called PedoFunding and awarded himself "PedoPoints" for carrying out the attacks.

CAGED: Sick Huckle bragged about his work on paedophile sites

TEEN: Huckle aged 18 getting his A-Levels and pictured with a group of children

Sick Huckle bragged about his methods, writing: "'Impoverished kids are definitely much, much easier to seduce than middle class Western kids. I still plan on publishing a guide on the subject sometime.

"To be honest if you really want to embrace child love poverty is the way to go."

Huckle, from Godinton Road, in Ashford, Kent, admitted 71 charges, including rape, sexual assault and sexual activity with a child and has been given 22 life sentences at the Old Bailey.

The nine-year tirade began when Huckle was just 19 and it is believed he assaulted 200 children before his arrest in December 2014, when he was caught with 20,000 indecent images.

VILE: Huckle posed as a teacher and photographer to trick vulnerable communities

Huckle's charges relate to abuse of 23 boys and girls aged between six months and 12 years old.

The majority of the victims are Malaysian and one is Cambodian.

Huckle first visited Malaysia on a gap year teaching placement in 2005.

He returned in 2006, when he abused two sisters aged four and six.

A year later, he went back to stay with their family and took up a teaching post in the village before moving to Malaysia permanently in 2010, enrolling in the Kuala Lumpur Metropolitan University to study IT and work as a freelance photographer.

He tutored English in an impoverished Christian community in Kuala Lumpur and gained the trust of locals with his perceived status as a rich westerner and was able to groom his victims because of this.

Huckle posted hundreds of non-explicit photographs of children to his Facebook, Twitter and travel blogs while documenting his child abuse on the dark web.

DARK WEB: Sick Huckle's posts on the disgusting site

PAEDO: Huckle bragged about his activities

SNARED: Huckle even wrote a book of advice for other paedos

His abuse was brought to an end when Australian police tipped off UK authorities.

Huckle originally denied the 91 counts and was due to face three separate trials as it was thought the material would be too much for one jury to cope with.

But he entered guilty pleas to 71 counts during five separate hearings between February and April after police recruited an anatomical expert to identify him in his own homemade videos and pictures.

The remaining 20 counts will lie on file.

"Richard Huckle, you have pleaded guilty to 71 of the counts," the judge told him at a hearing on 11 April this year.

"As you know these amount to sexual offending of the utmost gravity and as a result I am considering life sentences in your case and I am also considering if life sentences are appropriate the minimum sentence you must serve.

"In any case, you must expect a very long sentence in this case given that it comes in the category of exceptional gravity.

"As everyone in this court will know there is no distinction between victims here and victims overseas.

"The offences are regarded as of the utmost gravity in both cases."

An NSPCC spokesperson said: "There is no doubt Huckle is an incredibly dangerous paedophile who must be kept away from children at all costs.

"His delight in abusing babies and toddlers - which he boasted about on the internet – shows the depths of his warped depravity.

"He has left a trail of misery and devastated victims who will need extensive support to recover. Thankfully a successful police operation means he will spend many years behind bars."