A paedophile has been jailed after recordings of his rapes of two young girls were found among more than 250,000 indecent images on his computer.

Melvin Miller, described by police as “a dangerous sexual predator”, was handed a 16-year sentence for a series of assaults on two victims which he captured on camera.

One of the videos showed the 44-year-old, who lived in St Helens in Merseyside, offering a doughnut to one of the girls after abusing her.

Merseyside Police were alerted when one of his victims, who were aged six and 11 when the abuse started, told a friend.

The full scale of his offending was not clear until officers seized his computer from his home and discovered more than 255,000 indecent images of children.

Police also found videos of his assaults on the girls.

John Wyn Williams, prosecuting at Liverpool Crown Court, said: “It was only when the police made a thorough examination of the defendant’s hard drive that the extent of what the defendant had done to both these young girls unfolded.”

Miller, who appeared by videolink from HMP Liverpool wearing a grey jumper, pleaded guilty to 16 offences of raping a child under the age of 13.

He also admitted 12 counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, one count of assault by penetration of a child, one offence of engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and five counts of making or possessing indecent images.

Judge Neil Flewitt QC, sentencing, said the offences had a “profound” effect on his victims and their families and had caused “irreparable harm”.

He said: “When you were interviewed by police you denied the allegations put to you and said there were no indecent images on your computer.

“If you had been truly remorseful you would have admitted your offending at that stage. You waited until you were confronted with the evidence, which you had created yourself and which left you with no option but to plead guilty to these offences.”

The court heard no evidence was found of Miller distributing videos of the abuse.

Judge Flewitt continued: “Your victims and their families will always wonder whether that may have happened.”

He said a “library” of indecent images of children, including more than 6,000 classed as category A, 5,000 category B, and 74,000 category C, were also found on Miller’s computer.

The judge said: “In addition there were something in the order of 170,000 uncategorised images, making this the largest collection ever encountered by Merseyside Police.

“People like you create a market for the recordings of that abuse.”

Paul Lewis, defending, said Miller had pleaded guilty at the first available opportunity.

The judge said: “That is the only real mitigation available to you.”

Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Inspector Yoseph Al-Ramadhan, said: “Miller is a dangerous sexual predator, who will now be facing a significant time in prison and a lifetime of monitoring.

“Thanks to the bravery of his victims, throughout what is an extremely difficult process, detectives were able to carry out this complex investigation and put Miller before the courts.”

Miller was also made subject to notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order and ordered to serve an additional licence period of 12 months.

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