Catfish! Registered sex offender from Cambridgeshire tricked women into sending intimate photos on dating website Plenty of Fish by posing as another woman

Sex offender Jack Smith of Bretton (pictured) has been jailed after catfishing women online in order to gain intimate pictures. Picture: Supplied/Cambs Cops (Image: Supplied/Cambs Cops)

Jack Smith, who claims he "got a thrill out of posing as a woman", created an account on the website under the alias Charlotte Unwin in January last year.

The 25-year-old made conversation with the victim, a woman in her 20s, and persuaded her to send him intimate images.

A court heard how Smith became abusive and threatened to send the pictures to the victim's family members before completely cutting contact.

The sex offender from Bretton, Peterborough, resumed his 'campaign' of abusive and threatening messages in September that year.

Officers carrying out routine checks, as part of his management as a registered sex offender, found the messages and he was arrested in February this year.

Smith's phone was seized and officers found he had deleted the internet search history on his mobile phone, breaching the requirements of his sexual harm prevention order.

Smith, of Drayton in Bretton, admitted charges of sending threatening messages, breaching a sexual harm prevention order and failing to comply with sex the offenders' register.

He was jailed on Monday, September 16 at Peterborough Crown Court.

The court hear how Smith told officers he started the deceptive practice, known as 'catfishing', because he was depressed and he got a thrill out of posing as a woman.

DC John Whitworth said: "Smith used deceptive tactics to target innocent members of the public looking for love online.

"His actions caused a tremendous amount of stress to the victim, who had no idea she was speaking to a man.

"Hopefully this sentence will serve as a deterrent to others thinking about abusing people online."