UPDATE: Following an appeal on May 15 2013, Mr Hoyte's convictions on 14 counts of indecent assault and two of engaging in sexual activity with a child were quashed by His Honour Judge Mark Bishop. A retrial was ordered, which took place in October 2013, and Mr Hoyte was acquitted of all charges.

A paedophile who abused his position of trust in churches and youth projects to sexually abuse young girls over a 20-year period has been branded "a monster" by a member of his family.

Married dad Jason Hoyte, 37, was found guilty on Monday of sexually abusing six girls as young as four.

He would befriend their parents through his senior position in churches in Upper Norwood, West Norwood and Brixton before abusing the children, often in their own homes.

Between 2004 and 2006 as a Lambeth Council approved youth worker in West Norwood, he preyed on a 13-year-old girl who he "charmed" through his skills as a musician who had sung with international stars such as Take That and Mariah Carey.

Police described him as "every parent's nightmare - the family friend who appears respectable and trustworthy but turns out to be a fraud".

And one of his relatives told the Streatham Guardian: "He's a monster; to prey on children like that. He picked the children he thought he could get away with, then abused them.

"They were children from families that trusted him. I don't know how he can sleep at night or go to church and say he is this man of God."

She said his family had refused to believe he was capable of this or that he was lying.

She said they were a respectable church-going family who would not accept their "son had the devil inside him”.

She added: "He became a youth worker for a reason, now he must be kept as far away from children as possible. He should be castrated."

Hoyte was found guilty at Inner London Crown Court of 14 counts of indecent assault and two of sexual activity with a child. He was cleared of three other indecent assaults as well as four allegations of sexual activity with a child.

The first attacks took place from 1987 when Hoyte was a teenager.

His victims were children no older than eight.

He would grope and rub them to give himself sexual pleasure.

The court heard although concerns were raised early on relating to these incidents, he was given the benefit of the doubt by parents or church leaders because no one knew the true nature and extent of his activities.

He would move church and continue to abuse.

Prosecutor Nicholas Atkinson told the court later as a grown man and youth worker, Hoyte's abuse became "more serious", finally culminating in the "sexual predator" having sex with three girls.

He was found guilty of attacks on two of the girls, who he had groomed through his youth project by inviting them to attend summer camps and other youth activities.

He admitted sending them inappropriate and flirtatious text messages and telling one he "loved her, but only as a friend".

He was finally caught when he was invited in 2008 to sing at a church he had been previously banned from for inappropriate behaviour with a teenager, who turned out to be one of his victims.

One of his alleged victims, then 15, saw him singing and told a member of the congregation Hoyte had taken her virginity when she was 13.

A police investigation was launched around three alleged attacks, and when word of the investigation spread, other victims contacted police.

Hoyte will be sentenced on December 11.

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