A PIMP, jailed for prostituting a vulnerable schoolboy, can have no complaint about his "generous" 10-year sentence, top judges have ruled.

Raymond Colin Hawthorn, aged 51, was jailed at Bolton Crown Court after admitting a string of crimes in March last year.

These included controlling adult male prostitutes for gain and controlling a child male prostitute.

Condemned as a "dangerous" offender, he was ordered to serve an extended licence period of four years after his release.

Hawthorn, of Crescent Road, Bolton, preyed on a vulnerable 15-year-old who was in care and prone to self-harming.

He hawked the boy around men who paid for sex, Mr Justice Simon told London's Criminal Appeal Court today.

He claimed the boy could earn up to £400 per night, but prosecutors said Hawthorn must have kept most of the cash for himself.

He also prostituted other young men "nationwide", the court heard, setting up an escort agency to do so.

He had recruited a "significant number of young men", said the judge, who added that "five have been identified".

Hawthorn said the 15-year-old had lied that he was above the age of consent when they first met.

However, the appeal judge said Hawthorn had "used him", posed a high risk to boys and had shown "little insight or contrition".

He had previously been jailed for nine years after he was convicted of a series of indecent assaults and indecency with a child.

Mr Justice Simon said it was clear that he "targeted vulnerable young men because they were more likely to comply".

He "consistently manipulated" his teenage victim, and his 10-year jail term "might even be considered generous", the judge ruled.

Mr Justice Simon, sitting with Lady Justice Sharp and Mr Justice Holgate, concluded that the sentence was "entirely appropriate", dismissing Hawthorn's appeal appeal.