A former star of The X Factor has been jailed for nine years for sexually exploiting seven teenage boys.

Danny Tetley, from Bradford, was described as “a despicable creature with very few redeeming features” for encouraging the youngsters to send him explicit pictures in exchange for money.

During sentencing at Bradford crown court on Friday, the recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, said Tetley, 39, exploited the status he gained from the The X Factor to reach his victims.

He said Tetley was “dangerous” and described his behaviour as “highly predatory and manipulative”.

“You abused that status to satisfy your perverted sexual needs,” he added.

From October 2018 to August 2019, Tetley messaged seven boys aged between 14 and 16 coercing them into sending sexual images and videos in exchange for money.

In one instance he offered a 14-year-old boy £1,000 for a picture of his penis, while another 14-year-old was paid £200 for a series of indecent images. It is estimated he spent thousands of pounds on material in total.

He also sent victims indecent images of himself, as well as images of his other victims and adult pornography.

He used his fame and connections to groom many of his victims, the court heard, sending one boy pictures of fellow X Factor members during his time on the show and offering another access to a VIP rugby event. He also suggested he could get one boy an agent to help boost his budding acting career.

While some victims met Tetley at parties, others met him through his X Factor fame and were fans.

One of the victims said he now struggled to trust adults and thought they were only nice to him if they wanted something from him. “Adults don’t understand how life-changing these events can be,” he said in a victim impact statement.

Andrew Dallas, for the defence, said after moving to London and appearing on Pop Idol, Tetley developed an alcohol and drug problem that spiralled out of control.

Tetley finished in sixth place on The X Factor in 2018 after reaching the semi-finals.

Dallas said Tetley blamed his cocaine addiction for his elimination from the show and claimed no pastoral systems were offered from the organisations involved.

Tetley, who was arrested in May last year, admitted seven charges of causing sexual exploitation of boys aged between 14 and 16, as well as two counts relating to the distribution of indecent images.

He was jailed for nine years as part of a 17-year extended sentence involving eight years of close monitoring on licence after his release.

The X Factor has been approached for comment.