A SEXUAL predator faces a lengthy jail term after being found guilty of using a false identity to befriend a mother and abuse her three young daughters.

Dominic Purvis started watching internet child pornography but turned his sexual obsession into reality by carrying out a horrific catalogue of abuse against the girls.

He was on the Sex Offenders' Register for possessing indecent images of girls in 2006, but deceived the mother by using a false name. She had no idea of the dangers she had exposed her children to until he was arrested for accessing indecent images online.

The mother told Exeter Crown Court she felt physically sick when she learned the truth and described Purvis as “every parent's worst nightmare”.

He abused the girls when they got into bed with their mother and him in the mornings and during tickling games.

He took secret pictures of one of them as they slept, groped another as she got ready to go to the Devon County Show and nicknamed one “my bed buddy”.

He threatened to kill them, their dog or their mother and the girls were so terrified they stayed silent until after he was arrested for the internet offences.

Purvis, 48, of Gay Street, Wellington, is a professional disc jockey and entertainer who also performs in drag under the name Teya-Sue.

He has performed throughout Devon and Somerset and was even hired for a police disco.

At the time of the offences in 2013 he was working as a cook in the Barn Owl pub in Exeter.

He used his stage name of Dominic James when he befriended the mother on Facebook and within weeks he started a relationship with her which gave him access to her girls aged eight to 12.

When police checked his computers they found thousands of images of young girls being abused and chat logs showing he had exchanged some of them with fellow paedophiles.

He also exchanged sex fantasies about abusing young girls, telling one internet contact: "I like six to 12 best."

He claimed other people had used his laptop while he performed at discos and parties.

Purvis had denied three offences of distributing and two of making indecent images of children, two of failing to comply with the Sex Offenders' Register and eight of sexual assault.

He was unanimously found guilty of all counts and remanded in custody by Judge Erik Salomonsen, who ordered a report to assess Purvis' dangerousness.

The judge said:"The thing speaks for itself. With his previous conviction, clearly on the facts he is a dangerous offender and the law requires me to consider dangerousness in a case such as this."

He told Purvis:"You have been found by this jury to be a predatory paedophile. You are and have been for some time obsessed by young girls.

"That is shown by the thousands of images and chat logs in which you engaged in disgusting exchanges with similarly disposed people indicating what you would do if you had half a chance.

"You obtained that chance by meeting the mother of these three girls. You were a convicted offender under the name of Dominic Purvis. The register exists so the public can know you are a risk and so the police can keep track of you.

"You failed to disclose the name you were using and as a direct consequence of that you were able to wreak havoc on this family. Those were the depths to which you were prepared to stoop.

"You have sought to blame anyone but yourself at every stage. You can expect a lengthy prison sentence - the only issue is how long and whether it should be an extended sentence."

During an eight-day trial the jury heard he was found with child abuse images on three computers and an external hard drive and chat logs which showed he has an interest in young girls.

Purvis told the jury he did not have any sexual interest in young girls and had never touched any of the sisters inappropriately.

He denied all the allegations against him.

He even claimed his previous conviction was false and he had pleaded guilty to get the case over with, rather than because his fingerprints were found on revolting photographs recovered by police from a locked safe in his attic.

At the end of the trial the jury were also told he has a previous conviction from 2003 for fraud and creating false documents.

Purvis be will sentenced next month.