A FORMER youth worker was today jailed for 11 years for encouraging sex attacks on children - 3,500 miles away in the USA.

Darren Williams, 44, viewed the attacks on an online conference suite as he watched the abuse of a six-year old from his computer in Wales.

"Sadistic" Williams watched the abuse via online chatroom Zoom with a group of other paedophiles across the Atlantic.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Williams contributed to the chat saying "prove the video is live and smack him."

Prosecutor Charlotte Newell said: "Williams went under the username 'Andy' in a conference hosted by a man in the US.

"Children were being raped and forced to perform sex acts.

"During the abuse the participators contributed to a rolling group chat that was visible to all."

The court heard Williams watched the live streams from Pennsylvania between July and October 2015.

Miss Newell said the American man who hosted the chats was arrested in the US and handed a "substantial" prison sentence.

And Williams was caught when police tracked the IP address of his computer.

Williams, from Penywerlod Road in Markham, Blackwood, admitted encouraging or assisting the rape of a child and encouraging the distribution of indecent images.

He was jailed for 11 years and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

The judge, Recorder of Cardiff Eleri Rees QC, said: "There was a man raping children with you encouraging him for your sexual gratification.

"You all shared responsibility for the undoubted psychological and physical harm done to the children.

"You had enthusiastic participation in the streaming of videos of young children being raped for the sexual gratification of men like you."

Speaking after the sentence, specialist CPS prosecutor Laura Tams said: "Darren Williams clearly took sadistic pleasure in the pain and horrendous sexual abuse being inflicted on very young children.

"The prosecution built a case which showed how by watching and encouraging the abuse from behind his computer screen, Williams was guilty of encouraging the rape thousands of miles away.

"This conviction was made possible through close partnership working with the authorities both in this country and around the world."