A serial sex offender who groomed children he met on internet gaming sites was jailed.

When the computer of Carl Leslie was seized by Sussex Police he had 14,174 images of children on it.

Leslie, 27, was described by Judge David Rennie as “dangerous to young boys”. He was given an indeterminate sentence for public protection with a minimum term of six-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to more than 40 sex offences.

Hove Crown Court was told Leslie, of Talbot Lane, Horsham, who was already on licence for sexually assaulting another boy, preyed on children as young as 12.

The court was told that Leslie had already received a five-year extended sentence in November 2005 for sexually assaulting a child under 13 and for possessing hundreds of other indecent photographs of children.

He was also convicted of indecent assault in July 2007 after he was found guilty of sexually harassing another inmate while he was in prison.

Leslie admitted ten charges of making indecent images of children, 14 of possessing indecent images of children, nine of sexual activity with a child under 13, six of sexual activity with a child under 16, one of causing a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity and one of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child under 13.

He will remain on the sex offenders’ register for life.