A 64 year-old paedophile described by police as the "most prolific Internet groomer ever caught" has been jailed for five years.

Former postal worker, Douglas Lindsell, was sentenced yesterday at Kingston Crown Court after pleading guilty to attempting to abduct a young girl.

Lindsell, from Twickenham, gained the trust of his victims by pretending to be a teenage boy. Police said that Lindsell had "overtly sexual" contact with more than 70 girls from the UK and overseas.

Police used the sentence to warn parents of the dangers of chatrooms and the potential threats caused by unmonitored use of the Net.

Children's charity NSPCC described the case as the "worst and most frightening case of Internet grooming" known so far".

Said NSPCC Internet safety expert Chris Atkinson: "It clearly shows the extraordinary lengths that sex abusers will go to target and lure children for their own sexual gratification, and highlights the dangers of internet chatrooms. It also shows that the recent decision by MSN to close its chatrooms in a bid to protect children from people like this was correct.

"This sentence shows these crimes are unacceptable and will be severely punished, and makes plain that there is no hiding place on the Internet for sex abusers." ®