A SERIAL sex offender in the United States who was jailed after a missing teen was found at his home groomed a 'number' of Irish children over the internet.
Blake Robert Johnston, 42, was sentenced to 30 years in a Californian court for travelling across state lines in the US with the intent to engage in sexual acts with a minor.
He was also convicted for sex offences relating to an underage girl who was found at his home, as well as two others who lived in the US.
The businessman groomed and abused hundreds of children online with at least four Irish victims among them, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In some cases he manipulated his victims into abusing younger children or animals, the agency said.
Johnston was arrested after a 14-year-old girl went missing and was later traced to his home in Martinez, California.
Also discovered was a massive volume of material relating to children he had groomed online, both in the US and a number of other countries around the world.
A hard drive seized from Johnston’s bedroom contained more than 500 folders containing images of children he had met online.
The folders were labelled with the names of different girls, the US Attorney’s Office for Northern California said.
They contained images and videos of child abuse which investigators had not previously encountered – suggesting Johnston had produced the material himself.
According to RTÉ, Gardaí were involved in the US-led investigation into Johnston’s activities alongside Homeland Security and a number of other international police agencies.
Children from the UK, Australia and Malaysia were also targeted by Johnston alongside children from Ireland and the US.
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