A CONVICTED sex offender "groomed and preyed upon" a woman he met on a lonely hearts website and talked her into helping satisfy his lust for children.

Stephen Boyd kept his sordid past a secret from unsuspecting Catherine Hendriks and persuaded her to get him an indecent picture of a child, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The brief relationship - ended by Hendriks when his demands became more sickening - led to them appearing side-by-side in the dock and facing the prospect of prison.

Judge Deborah Sherwin blamed Boyd for corrupting Hendriks, and told him: "You pose a real risk to any child and will go to great lengths to follow your desires."

Boyd, 46, exchanged text messages and emails with his "needy" new partner and encouraged her to get "naughty" pictures of children, the court heard.

He warned her he would end the relationship unless she "kept him interested sexually", and told her she would "get so many kisses" if she sent him the photos.

In one text message exchange, Boyd - described in court as "devious and manipulative" - told the bleach-blonde: "I owe you big time . . . you are the best ever."

Police examined his lap-top computer and found more than 30 indecent images of children and 11 of sex scenes involving animals, prosecutor Shaun Dodds said.

One of the pictures was downloaded from a camera which belonged to Boyd which he had given to his girlfriend after they met in 2011, and which she returned.

The paedophile, of Slake Terrace, Hartlepool, was jailed for three years and three months and banned from having unsupervised contact with girls under 16.

Lonely housewife Hendriks, also aged 46, of Darlington Road, Hartburn, Stockton, avoided prison with a suspended jail sentence and Probation Service supervision.

The court heard how Boyd himself had received a suspended prison sentence in 2007 for making, distributing and possessing indecent images of children.

Three years ago, he met Hendriks on an online dating site and they embarked on their short relationship, Mr Dodds told Judge Sherwin.

She ended the romance after becoming worried about his obsession with children, despite her dream of wanting to "live happily ever after" with him.

The court heard that Boyd visited a number of dating and 'swinging' sites where he used false names, as he did on Facebook and when opening new bank accounts.

Mr Dodds said he also spent time at a guest house in Sunderland under an alias and in breach of his sex offenders' register notification requirements.

Paul Cleasby, mitigating, said Boyd had been "less than enthusiastic" with a treatment programme imposed after his last offending, but now realised his mistake.

Jim Withyman, for Hendriks, said: "She is incredibly ashamed of what she has done, and embarrassed by her conduct. It is quite clear she was lonely and vulnerable."

Judge Sherwin described Hendriks as "needy" and told Boyd: "She is an inadequate individual who you groomed and preyed upon. You are devious and manipulative."

Boyd admitted encouraging the commission of an offence, possessing indecent photos and extreme pornography, and three charges of failing to comply with notification requirements.

Hendriks pleaded guilty to taking an indecent photograph, and was given a 15-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, with two years of supervision.

The court heard she was the one who went to police and handed over her mobile phones when, nine months after their split, she had serious concerns about Boyd.