A suspected paedophile has been charged with sex offences against young boys.
Michael Cole, 29, unemployed, of Newhaven, was charged with 11 offences of inciting sexual activity with a total of nine local boys from the Seahaven area, and with two offences of possessing an indecent image of a child.
He was remanded in custody at Brighton Magistrates Court on Monday. He was then committed for trial, on conditional court bail, for an initial hearing at Lewes Crown Court on May 7.
Ten of the 11 incitement offences relate to alleged on-line contact - one relates to an offence of alleged physical contact.
The charges, authorised by the CPS, follow an investigation into allegations that teenagers in the Seahaven area were being tricked and blackmailed into sending inappropriate images online.
Cole was arrested in October last year and has been on police bail since while the investigation continued and the CPS considered police reports.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here