A "SCANDALOUS loophole" in the law has forced police to take legal action to ban a convicted paedophile from working with children.

Gavin Seagers (pictured), aged 34, was one of eight British men arrested when detectives busted international paedophile cyber-porn ring The Wonderland Club.

The sting in 1998 was the largest international police operation ever and led to 107 arrests in 12 countries and the seizure of 750,000 images of 1,200 children.

Seagers, a former youth leader at Dartford Sea Cadets, pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute indecent images of children.

He was sentenced to two years in prison and freed after one.

Seagers was placed on the sex offenders' register for seven years.

Last month, the Daily Mirror duped Seagers, a computer consultant, into meeting reporters at a flat in Dartford.

Seagers believed he would be tutoring a young boy, after he advertised his services online.

He admitted he should not be left alone in a room with a child.

Seagers denied ever abusing a youngster but said he could not help fantasising about it.

Following the article's publication, Kent police applied to Dartford Magistrates' Court for an interim order, which was granted on May 11.

Seagers, who lives in Swanscombe, was banned from seeking and accepting work, including tutoring, with children under the age of 16.

Deputy council leader Councillor Jeremy Kite said: "It is scandalous this loophole exists.

"I don't think he received a significant enough sentence or was given the right order when he was first convicted.

The interim court order is valid until August 11 this year.