A victim has been praised by police after a "dangerous and predatory" paedophile was jailed. 

Detective Constable Dawn Capper paid tribute to the girl's courage after sex offender Jason Mcauley was jailed for 18 months at Southampton Crown Court. 

The court was told how the child reported the sexual nature of messages she was receiving from the 45-year-old to her friends and school. 

He was arrested and when officers examined his phone, they found three Category C indecent images of a toddler.

READ MORE: Southampton paedophile caught with photos of toddler on phone

Mcauley, of Ventnor Court, pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child and making indecent photographs of a child and was sentenced on Monday. 

Det Con Capper, of Southampton’s Child Abuse Investigation Team, led the investigation into the offending which took place in early 2023.

She said: “One of our jobs in the specialist Child Abuse Investigation Team is to target those who attempt to exploit and abuse children sexually.

“I would like to say thank you to the victim in this case for coming forward and reporting Mcauley’s crimes. It’s not an easy thing to do, but their courage has ensured that a dangerous and predatory man will now face the consequences of his actions in prison.

“We always take allegations of this nature extremely seriously and work hard to bring offenders to justice.

“Anyone who has any concerns at all about child abuse can contact us at any time – we recognise that not everyone has the confidence to speak to police, but there are support services available that can help you if you are a victim of abuse.”

Anyone with concerns about child abuse can call 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

If you are not ready to speak to police but have experienced abuse in childhood, or are concerned about a child, you can contact the NSPCC helpline, confidentially, on 0808 800 5000.

Alternatively, you can email help@nspcc.org.uk. Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111.