A British paedophile who blackmailed children into abusing younger relatives, has been jailed for rape, despite being thousands of miles away when the attacks took place.

Using fake Facebook profiles and posing as a child, Paul Leighton, 31, befriended teenagers in the USA, Canada and Australia, and then persuaded them to send naked or sexual images of themselves.

He then used the pictures or videos to blackmail the frightened children into becoming abusers themselves, threatening to send the images to family members.

In one case a 14-year-old boy from Florida raped, who believed he was talking to a girl, was blackmailed into repeatedly raping his 12-month-old niece.

The boy has since been charged by the US authorities, but the FBI are investigating other victims Leighton may have targeted.

Leighton, from Seaham, County Durham, admitted raping the baby girl six times - even though he was 4,000 miles away - by using the teenager has his unwilling accessory.

It is thought to be the first time somebody has been convicted of rape in such circumstances.