A PREDATOR from Dunster who targeted girls in teen chat rooms was unmasked as a convicted child rapist by a Scotland Yard sting operation.

Daniel Robinson pretended to be 17 and encouraged a 13-year-old girl to touch herself and send him images without realising he was in fact messaging an undercover police officer.

He was jailed after police tracked him down to his home at the time in North Devon and found images on his computer of a previous victim of his grooming.

Robinson, 34, was already on the sex offenders register because he raped a 14-year-old gymnast whom he met while working as a fitness trainer in Taunton in 2006.

He drove the girl to the countryside near his former home in Watchet where he raped and sexually assaulted her. He was jailed for six years at Taunton Crown Court in 2006

Chef Robinson, later of Conygar View, Dunster, admitted attempting to cause a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to engage a child in sexual communication, and making indecent images of children.

He was jailed for two years by Recorder Jonathan Barnes at Exeter Crown Court and made subject of a sexual harm prevention order which restricts his future contact with children and use of the internet.

He told him: “These offences are aggravated very seriously by your previous conviction for rape. After anxious consideration, I am persuaded, just, that you should not be classified as a dangerous offender.”

Robert Yates, prosecuting, said Robinson contacted what he thought was a 13-year-old girl called Libby on the kids’ channel of the Chat Avenue website in June 2017, claiming to be a 17-year-old boy.

Mr Yates said: “The conversation was of a sexual nature and he suggested a video call in which he proposed to masturbate.”

He went on to urge ‘Libby’ to show her breasts and vaginal areas on Skype and to touch herself sexually. The Metropolitan Police passed his details to colleagues in Barnstaple and his home was searched.

An analysis of his computer found four images of young girls exposing themselves, which he admitted had been sent after contact in chat rooms. All were in category C, the lowest classification, which covers child nudity or sexualised posing.

Rupert Taylor, defending, said there had been no physical contact with any girl and the Skype conversation was not with a real person.

He said Robinson was now living with his family and working as a head chef. The probation service has recommended that he go on a sex offender treatment programme, which would not be available in jail.