A convicted paedophile who abused girls as young as one and groomed a girl in the United States has been jailed for life. Trevor Fernandes, 41, from Swindon, Wiltshire, committed a string of appalling crimes which led to a staggering 67 charges.

Fernandes is already in jail for grooming a 13-year-old girl in the US. He blackmailed the youngster into abusing herself and another child.

Jeanette Smith, specialist prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service’s Organised Child Sexual Abuse Unit, said: “Trevor Fernandes’s repulsive actions saw him use social media to control, exploit and damage young girls – aged between one and 16 – in England, America, Canada, Ireland and Norway.”

Fernandes was caught after the brave teenager told police in Garland, Texas, how he had forced her to send him sexualised images of herself. His demands grew more extreme, leading the pervert to pressure her into filming herself sexually abusing another child and sending him the footage.

He threatened to send the images and video he had previously requested to the teen’s friends and family if she didn’t do as he told her. The sicko was arrested at his home in Swindon on December 6, 2020, by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers.

They seized his devices and a mobile phone with some parts encrypted. A forensic examination uncovered images of the girl and the app Fernandes used to carry out his cruel abuse.

Officers also found other online messaging apps where Fernandes had set up accounts under usernames, including “cuteandstrict”, “cutestrictsadist”, “Reckitt03” and “TcTrevor”.

He was charged with 16 offences, including inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and making indecent images of children.

The sexual deviant was found guilty of all of them at Swindon Crown Court in May 2022. He was sentenced to 14 years in August the same year, with five years on extended licence.

The paedophile was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and added to the sex offenders’ register, according to the NCA.

Analysis of his devices uncovered even more of Fernandes’s sick crimes against more children. He was charged with the 67 further offences in September last year after officers interviewed survivors of his abuse in the UK and overseas.

The charges included blackmail, causing or inciting sexual activity with a child, malicious communication, causing a child to watch a sexual act and making and distributing indecent images of children.

He pleaded guilty in November and was sentenced to life to serve a minimum of 13 years and eight months on Wednesday (April 2).

Judge Taylor KC, sentencing, said Fernandes’s offending was some of the worst of its type to come before the court. and paid tribute to the victims who he described as “highly vulnerable young girls”.

Danielle Pownall, senior investigating officer at the NCA, said on Wednesday: “Fernandes is a prolific and dangerous child sex offender and knew at the time of his original conviction there were more children he had abused.

“He used threats and blackmail to coerce young children to commit horrendous acts, and the sentence given today highlights the severity of that offending.”

She added: “The young girl who reported the abuse to the authorities in the US showed incredible bravery in coming forward and telling police what had happened to her.

“Without her courage, Fernandes would potentially still be sexually abusing children and I would like to thank her again for taking that step and facing her fears.”