The co-founder of a Pride group has been jailed for 24 years after raping a 12-year-old boy he met online.

Paedophile Stephen Ireland, co-founder of Pride in Surrey, committed a string of crimes at his Addlestone flat in April 2024.

The 42-year-old was convicted at Guildford Crown Court of multiple child sex offences - with a judge laying into how he preyed on the "vulnerabilities of young people" linked to the organisation.

His co-defendant David Sutton, 27, a volunteer for Surrey Pride who shared the flat with Ireland, received four-and-a-half years behind bars.

PICTURED: David Sutton (left) and Stephen Ireland (right). Both paedophiles are now behind bars

Both men were found guilty of a string of sexual offences against children including voyeurism and possession of prohibited images.

Judge Patricia Lees told the sentencing hearing on Monday that Ireland had taken advantage of an extremely vulnerable child.

Ireland had arranged to meet the 12-year-old, referred to in court as Child A, through gay dating app Grindr.

The boy told police they had sex in the flat and smoked a "bong", which was later found to contain methamphetamine, while pornography played on a laptop.

The court was told the the victim initially told Ireland he was 17 but later said he was 13. Ireland's response was: "Okay... We just have to keep it a secret."

'Stephen Ireland is a man who prided himself on being versed in and highly alive to the vulnerabilities of young people linked to Surrey Pride,' Judge Lees said

In subsequent messages on encrypted chat app Telegram, Ireland said the boy's age was "naughty" and "kinky".

He asked the boy the same day about having a threesome and sent him pictures of himself and Sutton.

Judge Lees said: "Stephen Ireland is a man who prided himself on being versed in and highly alive to the vulnerabilities of young people linked to the Surrey Pride organisation he was at the time pivotal to."

She told Ireland: "Far from finding that repugnant, you found that exciting, and sought to do it again."

The court heard Ireland sent a picture of Child A to Sutton, describing him as a "14-year-old baby who wants to play with men's bodies".

In March 2024, Ireland watched live camera footage of Sutton having sex with a 16-year-old boy who didn't know he was being recorded.

Ireland had arranged to meet the 12-year-old, referred to in court as Child A, through gay dating app Grindr

Ireland was convicted of rape, three counts of causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, sexual assault, conspiracy to engage in sexual activity with a child, and arranging commission of a child sex offence.

He also faced six counts of making indecent photographs of children, four counts of distributing such images, possession of prohibited images, and possession of an extreme pornographic image.

Both men perverted the course of justice by deliberately deleting material and search history from their phones after being released on police bail in June 2024.

Ireland received 24 years imprisonment with an additional six years on extended licence.

Sutton's offences included voyeurism, possession and distribution of prohibited images of children, and perverting the course of justice.