A Northfleet man has been jailed for 10 years for grooming underage girls in online chatrooms in order to collect explicit images and videos – with some of the girls being as young as 13-years-old.

James Kang, of Rural Vale in Northfleet, posed as a teenager to gain access to chat rooms where he met and exploited teenage girls between 2018 and 2021.

After winning the trust of the vulnerable youngsters, the 30-year-old manipulated and frequently intimidated them into partaking in lewd acts.

Kent Police became aware of Kang after receiving intel that indecent images of minors had been uploaded from his email.

On May 26, 2020, officers of the force's Paedophile Online Investigation Team searched his abode, seizing all computing equipment and arrested him.

Despite Kang's denial of any incriminating activities during the interview and he was released under bail while his seized devices were under forensic examination.

Forensic findings revealed Kang was in possession of 12,475 still and moving explicit images of children.

Among these, minors below 10-years-old featured prominently with 2,141 images of the most serious nature.

The most serious images are category A images. This relates to images showing penetrative sex with a someone under 18.

He was subsequently charged with several child sexual abuses, encompassing coercing or convincing a girl between 13 to 15 to engage in a sexual act.

He was also charged with making or attempting to obtain indecent images of a child and actively encouraging or facilitating a crime under the Serious Crime Act 2007.

Kang pleaded guilty to 50 charges at Woolwich Crown Court.

On July 17, 2024, he received a ten-year prison sentence along with an indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

Investigating officer, Detective Constable Caroline White, said: ‘Kang is a depraved individual who used a very persuasive online persona to groom numerous vulnerable teenage girls.

“Simultaneously he was downloading images of even younger children suffering the most appalling sexual abuse.

“Once investigators had seized Kang’s computers, they spent more than 100 hours examining the online content to ensure we were able to present the full extent of his offending in evidence.

‘His actions will undoubtedly leave a lasting impact on the victims’ lives.

“Where we have identified those he has targeted, we have taken steps to ensure they receive support as they seek to come to terms with their ordeal.

“It is only right that the predator who caused such harm is now serving a lengthy prison sentence.

“If anyone has been a victim of any sexual offence it is never too late to report this to the police, a parent or other trusted person.

“We will always treat any information with the upmost confidence and sensitivity.