Stuart Brickwood, 50, belonged to groups called “Send pics and vids of your girls aged 13 only” and “Young girls up to 17 or be removed”, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

Police officers raided his property in Hayes Road, Clacton, after monitoring his perverse online activity and seized six devices.

When analysed, they contained videos and pictures of children as young as four being “raped and abused”.

A sexually charged conversation with a young girl who said her parents didn’t allow her on the mobile phone app was also found.

Brickwood admitted four offences of possessing indecent images of children

Jailing him for 13 months, Judge Mary Loram KC said: “With competence you navigated social media to pursue your interest in obtaining indecent images of children.

“There is significant evidence of your entrenched sexual interest of children and in your case you are acting on it.

“What you were looking at was images of children being raped and abused and that would not happen if it wasn’t for people like you.”

Helen Dawson, prosecuting, said Category A, B and C indecent images were found on Brickwood’s devices and saved over a seven year period between 2013 and 2020.

She revealed the defendant was part of five social media groups eliciting and distributing the illegal content.

Some of the group names told members to post pictures and videos of girls aged between 13 and 19 “or be banned”.