A SEX OFFENDER who sought out jobs where he would be working with children has been jailed indefinitely after a judge labelled him a danger to the public.

Daniel Patrick Tredwell, 20, of Fairfield Close Staveley, will have to serve at least two-and-a-half years in prison before being allowed to apply to parole.

And even then he will be released only when the authorities are convinced he no longer poses a risk to children.

Tredwell worked at his village’s Bobbins Day Nursery and was an assistant leader of the 1st Staveley Beaver group.

At Carlisle Crown Court he pleaded guilty to 19 charges - sexual activity with two eight-year-old boys, sharing child pornography over the internet and possessing more than 500 indecent images of children.

None of the offences involved children at the nursery or the Beaver group.

But, passing sentence, Judge Peter Hughes QC told Tredwell: “You have an unhealthy interest in young children and you have sought positions of trust which have given you access to them. You chose occupations where you could satisfy your orientation.

“It is plain that there is a high degree of risk that, were you free in the community to do, you would commit similar offences and be a serious danger, particularly to young and vulnerable children.”

The judge said he had two objectives – to protect children and to ensure that Tredwell received the help and support he needed before being allowed to return to the community.

The charges to which Tredwell pleaded guilty were: Four of sexual activity with one boy and two with the other.

Ten of distributing indecent images of children by uploading them onto the internet.

Two of using the internet to distribute pornographic videos of children And one of possessing more than 500 indecent images of children.

Prosecuting barrister Jeremy Grout-Smith told the court Tredwell was arrested in September last year after police received a tip-off about his activities.

He was immediately “unusually frank” and admitted that he had a collection of child pornography – mostly involving images of boys under ten – which he shared with like-minded people on the Internet, he said.

He even admitted sexually abusing one of the small boys when he was about 19.

The court heard that when interviewed by a probation officer he also admitted sexual activity with a second boy some years before.

In mitigation defence counsel Greg Hoare said Tredwell was “incredibly remorseful” and had “a sense of guilt that hangs very heavily on his shoulders”.

“He now wants to do whatever is necessary to deal with these manifest problems that he has,” Mr Hoare said.