A paedophile pensioner who paid for a Filipino mother to abuse her two youngsters while he watched via a webcam received a seven and a half year sentence today.

74-year-old Bryan Stanley was told by a judge, “It beggars belief that anybody can conduct themselves in such an appalling way.

“I have no doubt that the general public will be horrified to learn of your conduct."

Judge Mark Brown ruled he poses a significant risk of serious harm and sentenced him to four and a half years in prison with an extended licence of three years.

“It was exploitation of the worst kind. People living in the Philippines, living in poverty and in very difficult circumstances, are extremely vulnerable to this kind of exploitative behaviour.

"You took advantage of that fact,” he said.

Stanley, of Smith Avenue, Birkenhead, pleaded guilty to two charges of arranging or facilitating sexual activity with a child and eight charges of possessing of indecent images of children.

Kim Egerton, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that Smith had joined an international internet circle where he would pay a fixer to organise the disgusting sex shows.

He chatted online as a mum sexually abused her 14-year-old daughter and urged her to also abuse her six-year-old son.

Stanley was caught when police investigating the child sex ring in 2013 traced his internet IP address.

When police raided his home they seized his computer equipment and on a laptop and computer they found 292 indecent images of young children.

They also discovered chat logs involving him conversing while watching the activity beamed via webcam.

One involved him telling the teenage girl that she was “very beautiful” and asked if she had a boyfriend.

He watched on as she was abused by her mother.

Judge Brown said: “I accept that the system was already up-and-running and you didn’t create the environment in which the individual was being paid for putting on the sex shows.

“Nonetheless, you joined in - initially paying to watch adults having sex and then it clearly developed to wanting to watch adults sexually abuse children.

“You continue to deny having a sexual interest in children. That’s clearly not correct. I’m entirely satisfied that you do have a very keen interest in the abuse of children and you can only properly be described as a paedophile.”

Chris Williams, defending, told how Stanley has shown “real remorse and shame”.

He said that in a letter written to the judge Stanley had admitted, ‘What I did was vile and disgusting”.

“No-one can really argue with that," said Mr Williams, who added that Stanley's own adult children have been left 'distraught and disgusted' by his behaviour.

Judge Brown ordered Stanley to sign on the Sex Offenders Register for life and imposed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.