The Canvey Island Paedophile, Jay Lang, who impersonated a teenage girl on social media to solicit sexual photographs from young boys and subsequently blackmail them has been sentenced to 21 years in prison.
Jay Lang, 24, from Canvey Island, Essex, victimised a minimum of 26 individuals aged 11 to 16.
He transported a youngster to a remote spot and perpetrated sexual abuse against him.
Authorities reported the identification of 220 potential victims, and a judge at Basildon Crown Court commended the inquiry as a “tour de force.”
Judge Samantha Cohen stated, “You are a predatory, manipulative, and perilous young man.”
“You have caused turmoil in the lives of 26 young men and their families.”
Jay Lang was subjected to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and mandated to register as a sex offender.
Prosecutor Marc Brown informed the court that Jay Lang established profiles on Snapchat and Instagram under a pseudonym.
The defendant, Jay Lang, would provoke victims into transmitting immoral movies and photographs, and unbeknownst to them, utilised a screen-recording application to capture the images for the purpose of blackmailing the lads.
Upon disclosing his identity as a male, he threatened to disseminate photographs unless he received monetary compensation, specifically demanding £2,000 from one victim.
Jay Lang blackmailed one boy into filming himself performing a sex act with a male friend, the court heard, and in some cases he published images of the victims.
The offences took place over the course of three years starting in 2019, and in November 2021, one of the victims contacted police.
Officers said they found 540 videos and 140,000 images on the defendant’s phone.
One victim, who was driven to an isolated location in a van and sexually abused, said he experienced suicidal thoughts on a daily basis.
Jay Lang admitted 46 offences at an earlier hearing, including causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, blackmail and causing or inciting child sexual exploitation.
The defendant was in a long-term relationship at the time of the offending.
Jay Lang was made subject to an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.
The defendant mouthed “thank you” to the judge as he was led from the secure dock to the cells.
Nick Bonehill, mitigating, said Jay Lang apologised to “each and every victim”.
Essex Police said it was the largest child exploitation investigation in the force’s history. [NOTHING TO BE PROUD OF].
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