TWO Wellington paedophiles who filmed each other abusing young children have been locked up indefinitely.

Kevin Charman, 35, of Tone Hill, Tonedale, and Darren Donaldson, 37, of Parklands Road, were sentenced at Taunton Crown Court on Friday after earlier admitting a string of sex offences against children.

Charman’s catalogue of depravity included rape, penetrative assault and sexual activity with a child, while Donaldson, also charged with penetrative assault and sexual activity with a child, admitted three child porn counts and possessing a stun gun.

The abuse was uncovered in February, 2009, when Donaldson became the focus of an internet child porn crackdown – almost 7,000 indecent images were found on his computer.

Police also seized a disk containing images of both defendants abusing a young boy and girl.

Kate Brunner, prosecuting, said Charman and Donaldson carried out a “prolonged campaign of abuse” against them.

During interview, Donaldson said that they began photographing the children naked, but the abuse quickly escalated, culminating in Charman raping the girl.

Police also found an 80-minute video at Donaldson’s home showing various clips of him and Charman abusing the children.

Donaldson also admitted sexually abusing a third victim – a young girl – 50 times, describing himself as “loved up”.

Emma Martin, defending Charman, said her client was attracted to Donaldson, not the children, and would have done anything for him.

She said Donaldson would feed him a cocktail of drink and drugs when the children were around to loosen his inhibitions.

But Malcolm Galloway, for Donaldson, said it was Charman who supplied his client with drugs and it was Charman’s video camera that was used to film the abuse.

In passing an indeterminate jail term, Judge Stephen O’Malley said both men posed “a high risk to children”.

Both men were disqualified from working with children for life and made subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

Donaldson was also given a 12-month concurrent sentence for making indecent photographs of children and 12 months concurrent for unlawful possession of a stun gun.

Both men will serve a minimum of five years before they can be considered for parole.