A teenager who groomed and sexually assaulted 13 boys over seven years has been jailed for a decade and ordered to remain on licence for a further eight years.

West Sussex County Council launched a Serious Case Review (SCR) after Christopher Mancini was convicted of 49 counts including rape and sexual assault.

Mancini, now 19, told the youngsters he would “out” them as gay unless they fulfilled his sexual demands.

Judge Richard Hayward, sentencing Mancini at Lewes Crown Court yesterday, said the teenager operated using “a combination of bribes and threats”.

He described the seven years Mancini attacked boys as “an established period of grooming and offending.”

Describing details of one attack, he said: “You held a BB gun to his head and told him to [touch] you.”

He also revealed how Mancini set up a fake Facebook profile under the name of Louise, described in court as a “pretty young woman” to make contact with some of his victims.

‘Louise’ added victims as ‘friends’ and ordered them to send degrading pictures of themselves which many of the youngsters did. 

Judge Hayward said: “One victim said he felt trapped.

“You obtained images of them over the internet and threatened to ‘out’ them.”

Describing Mancini as “manipulative and coercive”, he said the impact the abuse had on the victims was huge.

He said: “The part of their lives that should have been exciting and fun will be looked back at with embarrassment and misery.”

Gillian Etherton QC, prosecuting, said: “They [the victims] desperately don’t want to talk about it any more.”

Vincent Loughlin QC, defending, admitted there was “very little mitigation” with regards to Mancini.

Stuart Gallimore, West Sussex County Council’s director of Children’s Services, said: “West Sussex County Council is pleased by the result of the court case and recognises the harm and distress caused to these young people.

“A Serious Case Review is now being undertaken by the West Sussex Local Safeguarding Children’s Board as the protection of children is an absolute priority for us.”

Detective Chief Inspector Dave Wardley-Wilkins said: “Mancini operated by targeting often vulnerable young boys in the area where he lived, whilst he himself was aged between 14 and 18.

“Once we received the information in 2012, our enquiries revealed further offending, resulting in the charges and Mancini’s conviction and sentencing.”

Mancini, of Pierpoint Close, Hurstpierpoint, was also ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely and was subject to a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.