Former police officer Lewis Edwards, who admitted more than 100 sexual offences against children, has been handed a life sentence, Sky News reportss.
He will serve a minimum of 12 years behind bars. He was granted a reduction of one-third to his sentence due to his entering a guilty plea.
Sentences for other counts for which he pleaded guilty will be served concurrently.
Edwards, 24, carried out all but one of his offences while working as an officer for South Wales Police but was immediately suspended from duty upon his arrest and later resigned.
He used fake Snapchat accounts – posing as a 14-year-old boy – to groom more than 200 girls aged between 10 and 16 online.
Edwards asked scores of his victims for indecent images in school uniform and blackmailed many young girls – threatening to publish their photos or hurt their families to get them to cooperate.
The former officer, from Bridgend, had previously pleaded guilty to 22 counts of blackmail, 138 child sex offences and a further offence of refusing to disclose the password to a mobile phone and USB stick.
Court attendance
But this week he refused to appear at Cardiff Crown Court to hear his punishment.
Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff, told the court she could not force Lewis Edwards to attend court for his sentencing.
“He groomed his victims, psychologically manipulating them until he had gained control,” she said.
Describing his offences, she said: “The defendant had a pattern of behaviour. He made online contact with a girl.
“The defendant pretended to be a boy of a similar age. He groomed his victims psychologically, manipulating them until he had gained control.”
She added: “When his victims did not comply, he would threaten them until they did what they were told.”
