A MAN who "seemed to indulge in the sexual abuse of others" and lured teenagers with the offer of a job at a café in Oldham has been jailed.

Bolton Crown Court heard Callum Townsend urged two youngsters to send him pictures and asked them vulgar questions.

He was first approached by the first of his victim’s mothers who had seen the job advertised.

Following this he got the boy’s phone number and communicated with him over Snapchat, meaning the messages could not be recovered.

He asked the teen to send him pictures of him in his underwear but he declined to do this.

The youngster broke off contact but was concerned as Townsend knew which school he attended.

The predator then made contact with his second victim.

He asked him how strong he was and to send pictures.

When one was sent Townsend replied describing him as “sexy”.

He went on to ask him what underwear he wore and vowed to buy him some Calvin Klein pants.

Townsend vowed to stop if the defendant sent him another picture which he did but he later asked him for a picture of his genitals.

The teenager then informed his family and the first complainant confirmed Townsend had also sent him messages of that nature and police were contacted.

Townsend had been due to go on trial over the offences but failed to appear at court.

He was given a 28 day jail sentence for this, but later pleaded guilty to the four offences of sexual communication with a child.

Prosecutor David Toal revealed the 29-year-old had numerous previous convictions from his time in Northern Ireland which included harassment, fraud and breaches of sexual harm prevention orders.

He said police had found activity on his phone indicating he had been communicating in this way with other boys, but he was not charged with this.

The court heard during previous offending he had posed as a teenage girl online to message young boys.

Representing the man now living at Ashfields New Road in Newcastle, Staffordshire, defence counsel Rachel White said he had struggled to come to terms with his own sexuality as he came from a “conservative” background in Northern Ireland.

Imposing a sentence, judge Nick Potter blasted his conduct.

He said: “The facts of this case and your previous convictions portray you as a manipulative and scheming person who employs dishonesty in your life it seems to indulge in the sexual abuse of others.

“You have for a number of years set out to use others to provide you with sexual images for you no doubt to obtain sexual gratification.”

He jailed him for 37 months, places him on a sexual harm prevention order and the sex offenders’ register for life.