UK’s worst paedo to be sentenced for horrific string of crimes we may never know full scale of

A SERIAL paedophile who targeted vulnerable slum children in Malaysia voiced remorse in court today as a judge weighed up his sentence.

Richard Huckle, 30, a photographer from Ashford, Kent, faces multiple life sentences for raping babies and toddlers in orphanages across Africa.

He volunteered in Malaysia and Cambodia, posing as a camera man and a Christian philanthropist before abusing tots and bragging about it online.

Judge Peter Rook today heard mitigation from his lawyer Philip Sapsford.

Rook said he would have to gauge whether a life sentence was appropriate for 22 of the most serious counts before passing sentence at 10:00am on Monday.

Sapsford argued his client had spared a jury from being exposed to abuse images by pleading guilty.

He accepted it would be “a very long time” before Huckle was released from prison but asked that the sentence give his client “hope” of rehabilitation.

In a letter of remorse written on May 23 and read to the court by his lawyer, Huckle acknowledged “the scale of the damage I have caused.

“I completely misjudged the affections I received from these children.

“My low self-esteem and lack of confidence with women was no excuse to be using these children as an outlet.

He said he influenced by the “perverted lust of those who drew me into the dark net” and hoped there would be help for the victims of the “disgusting behaviour I performed on them.”

“I am open and eager to rehabilitate from this offending behaviour”, he wrote.

“In no way do I want to be treated as a martyr to child sex tourism in Malaysia.

“This was all my own doing as a consequence of my immaturities.

“I am deeply remorseful and regretful of what has happened and will do all I can in being proactive towards rehabilitating myself.”

More than 20,000 images of child sex abuses were found on Huckle’s heavily-encrypted laptop.

He also wrote a 60 page instruction manual for other perverts called Paedophiles & Poverty: Child Lover Guide, which he shared in twisted chatrooms.

He treated his sick crimes like a game by awarding himself ‘paedo-points’ for how vile the offences were.

Huckle boasted online that it was easier to abuse poor Asian children over wealthier Western kids.

The New Hope orphanage even posted a tribute to his work on Facebook, unaware that he was a dangerous predator.

After filming himself abusing children, the freelance photographer sold the sordid videos on the dark web for Bitcoins.

Police got intelligence of his overseas crimes and arrested him at Gatwick Airport on 19 December 2014 when he returned to the country for Christmas.

Malaysia have urged police in the UK to share information on Huckle, and the country has reacted with revulsion and horror to his crimes.

Daily newspaper the Star ran the headline: “This monster defiled our kids” and ran another titled: “The devil that hid in a church.”

However, several people interviewed said they had to reason to suspect Huckle of child sex abuse.

Paul Packianthan, senior pastor of a Protestant church in a Kuala Lumpur suburb, said his church visits were infrequent and had aroused “no suspicions.”

He condemned Huckle’s actions as “despicable.”

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