AN internet chatroom pervert who committed sex offences against young girls learnt his computer skills while serving a prison sentence for rape, it was revealed today.

Kevin Turner, 50, was yesterday jailed for 11 years for a string of attacks on teenage girls which he carried out after claiming he worked for a model agency.

Judge Stuart Baker described 50-year-old Turner, of Blackburn, as a very real danger to young children and said the case should alarm all parents.

Preston Crown Court was told that that the convicted rapist, who developed his computer skills while in prison, also took indecent photographs of the teenagers and threatened to send them to their parents.

One of the victims was asked to pose via a webcam and another made to take part in a sex session in woods.

Turner, of Manxman Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful sex, indecent assault, taking indecent photographs and indecency.

The offences were committed between April and September last year. He also admitted failing to notify a change of address to police - a requirement following his conviction in August 1996 of raping a teenage girl.

Det Insp Neil Hunter, of the Accrington-based police public protection unit, today said: "He developed his computer literacy while in prison to the point that he was confident in using the internet.

"I would like to send out a message to people using chatrooms - they must never reveal personal details or arrange to meet someone unless they are 100 per cent sure of the other person.

"There is a responsibility on parents to take an active interest in the matter."

Richard Marks QC told the court that Turner used the internet to strike up conversation by the use of chatrooms.

He said: "He soon turned the conversations to matter of a sexual nature.

"He claimed that he was involved in the modelling world and that he could get them photographic work.

"This was completely untrue and was a pretext that he was used in order to get them to meet them. He also lied about his true identity.

"In the case of each of the girls having successfully persuaded them that they should meet him, he prevailed upon them by taking photographs of them in various states of undress. He then went further by acting indecently towards them in a variety of different ways, against their will. He then threatened them that he would reveal what had taken place by distributing photographs that he had taken, in particular to the girls' parents.

"He was throughout motivated solely by satisfying his own perverted lust for girls of this age."

The court heard one of the victims was 15, one was 16 and had special needs and learning difficulties and the third girl was 13.

One of the girls was driven from her home in Lytham to Tockholes where she was plied with drink before Turner took indecent photos of her. He committed other offences against her before being disturbed by a couple walking their dog.

He later rang the girl and told her if she didn't do what he said he would alert her parents to the photos.

Judge Baker said: "You used a disturbingly simple and increasingly common device of contacting them and grooming them in internet chatrooms.

"The ease with which you have done that should alarm all parents and all decent members of the community."

Turner was also placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely and banned from future contact with children.