A ‘dangerous’ paedophile who abused four girls has been jailed for 16 years.

James Paffey will be on the Sex Offenders Register for life following his conviction, which came after one of his victims bravely came forward to police in September last year.

The now 38-year-old was arrested and charged with three offences three days after she came forward – with three further girls later reporting they had too been sexually assaulted by him.

Paffey, of no fixed address in the Clacton area, was charged with eight counts of rape, nine counts of sexual assault, six counts of assault by penetration, two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and one count of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

He denied all charges and stood trial on October 26 – with a jury at Chelmsford Crown Court finding him guilty on Thursday, November 12.

The following day, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison and given a four year extended licence. He will have to serve at least two-thirds of his sentence in jail before being eligible to request parole.

In a statement to the court, a guardian of one of the victims said the childhood innocence of all four girls has been taken away by his actions.

The statement read: “My sadness for all the girls is around how they have lost their chance at a normal childhood because of what he has done.

“The innocence of childhood has been taken away from them by his actions and can never be recovered. They have not had the opportunity to grow up like regular children.”

Detective inspector Lisa Norcott, of Essex Police, praised Paffey’s victims for their bravery throughout their ordeals.

DI Norcott said: “Paffey is a dangerous offender who committed the most horrific of crimes against four young girls.

“They have shown immense bravery by having the courage to tell us what happened so we could make sure he was brought to justice, and seeing the case through to trial.

“Paffey could have pleaded guilty. Instead, he subjected them to not only the most horrendous crimes but also to recounting what happened to them in court.

“However his attempts to prolong justice failed.

“I would like to thank the victims’ families for the immense support they have given them and the bravery and respect that they showed in court.

“Lastly I would like to thank DC Rachel Evemy and investigating officer Lisa Berrett-West, who have worked tirelessly on this distressing case to ensure that Paffey faced the consequences of the heinous crimes that he committed.”