X FACTOR star Danny Tetley was today jailed for nine years after begging children to send him indecent pictures in exchange for thousands of pounds.
The creep, 40, "abused his celebrity status" to groom his victims and force them to send him explicit images in 10,000 sickening WhatsApp exchanges.
The entertainer sent X-rated photos of himself to show the type of poses he wanted from them.
Tetley never met any of the teens – aged 14 to 16 – but engaged in "highly sexualised chat" with them as he attempted to convince them to send naked pictures for up to £1,000-a-time.
He told one boy "the more on show, the better the price" as he hounded him for pictures for his "own remote sexual gratification".
When he was arrested, he tried worming his way out by claiming his Facebook was hacked and told cops he couldn't cope with his X Factor fame.
Tetley showed no emotion as he was caged for nine years today – with a further eight years on licence when he is released, the Telegraph and Argus reported.
He had last month pleaded guilty to paying five teenage boys to send him indecent images.
ABUSED CELEB STATUS
Sentencing him, the judge said: "What you demanded and showed were blatant and the disgusting level to which you sank, Mr Tetley, was quite unbelievable.
He added: "Many will see you for what you are, a despicable creature.
"The reality is our society is deeply interested in celebrity, it does no harm. Pure entertainment of highest order including X Factor, upon which you featured in some capacity.
"You exploited the status it gave you. You abused that status to satisfy your perverted sexual needs, by your actions."
Bradford Crown Court was told Tetley used his status to satisfy his "perverted sexual needs".
Tetley groomed one 14-year-old victim by talking about girls, his Range Rover and his celeb collections.
He also preyed on the teen, who admitted having money problems, and sent him a naked photo of a 15-year-old girl – with a £500 offer for a threesome.
SICKENING TEXT MESSAGES
The fiend then sent a naked photo of himself and asked for an illicit image in exchange for tens of thousands of pounds.
One sick message read: "Send same pic but drop the boxers."
He text another victim, saying: "Start with easy ones and see how you feel. Lol".
The singer offered one teen seats in the VIP area at the rugby and told him: "Whoever f***s you first is in for a right treat."
He paid one boy a "record fee" of £350 for a photograph and offered to pay up to £1,000 to another youngster for an explicit video.
COCAINE ADDICTION
Michael Smith, prosecuting, told the court how one of the victims feels guilty over the abuse – with his home life and family destroyed.
Another victim said: "Adults don’t understand how life-changing such events can be".
During mitigation, the court was told Tetley, who was born with a cleft pallet, had been severely bullied at school.
He became addicted to cocaine after the murder of a close relative in his early twenties – and blamed his gruesome crimes on being on drugs.
The performer had made the live shows in 2018's X Factor series and came in sixth place.
An NSPCC spokesman said: “Tetley’s use of his TV appearances and promises of money in the thousands of messages he sent these boys, are an example of the depraved lengths that predators will go to in their pursuit of victims.
“This kind of abuse can have a profound and long-lasting impact, and this case underlines why it is so vital that social media companies are forced to make safeguarding our children their top priority.
"We continue to call on the Government to introduce new legislation that enforces a formal Duty of Care to keep young people safe online.
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