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| Child sex charges admitted by man in paedophile inquiry | Child sex charges admitted by man in paedophile inquiry |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| A 19-year-old man has admitted 13 sex offences linked to an investigation into the exploitation and abuse of up to 20 children in south Devon. | A 19-year-old man has admitted 13 sex offences linked to an investigation into the exploitation and abuse of up to 20 children in south Devon. |
| Jake Ormerod, of Babbacombe Road, Torquay, admitted the charges at Exeter Crown Court relating to eight girls as young as 13. | Jake Ormerod, of Babbacombe Road, Torquay, admitted the charges at Exeter Crown Court relating to eight girls as young as 13. |
| The abused girls came from the Torbay and Teignbridge areas. | The abused girls came from the Torbay and Teignbridge areas. |
| Ormerod, who met his victims on Facebook, was arrested in February by police investigating a paedophile ring. | |
| More arrests expected | |
| Members of the ring had been grooming and abusing girls in the Devon area, targeting homeless youngsters and also picking up children outside schools. | |
| Thousands of parents at local schools were sent letters in February informing them that a major child abuse investigation, Operation Mansfield, was being carried out by Devon and Cornwall Police. | |
| Ormerod admitted one charge of sexual assault on a child aged under 13, plus 12 charges of sexual activity with a child - seven when he was aged under 18 and five when he was 18. | |
| The charges covered a period of three years. | |
| He was remanded in custody and is due to be sentenced in July following psychological reports. | |
| After Ormerod's admissions, Det Insp Simon Snell, who is leading Operation Mansfield, said he was "pleased that the vulnerable victims have been spared the ordeal of having to attend court and give evidence". | |
| He added that officers expected to make more arrests in connection with the paedophile ring. | |
| Drink and drugs | |
| He said: "We have interviewed more than 40 children and I do not think we have finished yet. | |
| "There may be more arrests to be made as the investigation focuses." | |
| He said the gang would ply vulnerable girls with drink and drugs before abusing them at their homes, which were well known to homeless children. | |
| Det Insp Snell said: "Slowly and surely they began to pretend that they were the boyfriends of the victims. | |
| "But there is no way these girls could pretend to be the girlfriends of sex offenders." | |
| Victims who were identified were supported by multi-agency professionals - including police, Torbay Council's children's services and the NHS - police said at the time the letters were sent. |