Former X Factor UK contestant Danny Tetley has been jailed for the sexual exploitation of underage boys after begging them for explicit pictures.
The paedophile singer, 39, found fame on the 2018 series of the ITV talent show, making it all the way through to the semi-finals.
But now he is disgraced behind bars after pestering teenage boys aged 15 and 16 to send him indecent pictures in return for money.
He had sent more than 10,000 texts in his vile grooming campaign, Mirror reports.
As part of a 17-year extended sentence, he must also be closely monitored on licence for a further eight years when he is eventually released from prison.
He will also be made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for 20 years.
The judge branded him ‘dangerous’ as he passed the sentence.
Tetley – full name Daniel Ross Tetley – appeared at Bradford Crown Court to face the judge’s sentencing remarks.
He had been in custody since admitting five counts of causing sexual exploitation of a child in December.
Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, overseeing the case, told the court Tetley’s celebrity status “is now gone, tarnished and destroyed”.
He added that the impact on Tetley’s victims had been “most distressing”.
“I am satisfied beyond a remote doubt you are dangerous,” he told Tetley, who showed no emotion as he was led back to jail.
“I assess him as a highly predatory and manipulative individual.”
The judge told him: “Nobody doubts a significant sentence of imprisonment is required.
“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.
“Those in the public eye don’t have licence to abuse. Those in public eye have deep responsibility and many exercise magnificently.
“Many will see you for what you are, a despicable creature. In your letter to me, you acknowledge your disgraceful behaviour. Tetley has shown manipulative behaviour, sexualising victims, exposing them to images.
“What you demanded and showed were blatant and the disgusting level to which you sank, Mr Tetley, was quite unbelievable,” he added.
Tetley was arrested last summer and told press at the time he was innocent, protesting: “Someone is trying to set me up.”
He claimed an unnamed enemy was jealous of his success, adding: “This kind of thing has gone on for ages because people don’t like to see me do well.
“I’ve never handled the fame very well. I haven’t worked this hard just for me to be slaughtered.”
But after he was forced to hand over his phone to cops, the X Factor contestant pleaded guilty to paying five teenage boys for their explicit snaps, sending thousands of texts and WhatsApp messages over his disgusting campaign between October 2018 and August 2019.
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.
“As part of the NSPCC’s Wild West Web campaign, we are calling on people to email their MP urging them to back a new Bill that paves the way for a proper independent watchdog to regulate online harms against children.”
