Child abuser Colin Blanchard, who persuaded kindergarten teacher Vanessa George to sexually abuse babies, is denied parole because he still has “extreme sexual interests.”

One of Britain’s worst paedophiles, who persuaded nursery school teacher Vanessa George to abuse dozens of children, was today refused parole because he continued to have “extreme sexual interests”.

Colin Blanchard, 53, of Rochdale, appeared before the Parole Board in a rare two-day hearing on May 29 and 31, urging the board to release him.

However, the three-member panel concluded that Blanchard continued to pose a threat and announced today that his dismissal would not be considered until 2026 at the earliest.

In a scathing written summary, the panel warned that the former IT expert was still “deflecting” and “minimizing” responsibility for his crimes and questioned whether Blanchard “truly understood his extreme sexual interests.”

It states: “He had developed a clear preference for prepubescent children and bestiality and, in the panel’s view, had developed a fetish for parents having sex with their own children.”

The paedophile had persuaded George (pictured) to abuse 64 babies and toddlers in her car

Under the heading “Risk Assessment,” it said: “Mr Blanchard admitted that he had a sexual interest in children and in sodomy. He spoke about the difficulties he was facing at that time in his life, including in his relationship, and how extremely sexualized behavior gave him relief and helped him to cope.”

“He said that sex had become the most important thing for him at that time.”

In making its decision, the panel considered Blanchard’s relationships with professionals at the prison. It wrote: “Concerns have been raised regarding Mr. Blanchard’s interactions with professionals.”

“It has been reported that Mr Blanchard can be open with professionals and there have been some concerns that he may have attempted to manipulate people.

“Mr Blanchard admitted that he could become angry and frustrated because he was dependent on prison for his entire life. He felt that he received little or no support.

“The panel accepted the professional evidence regarding Mr Blanchard’s conduct in custody and his cooperation with professionals.”

The kindergarten teacher cruelly refused to give the police the names of all her victims, which meant a decade of “hell” for the families

The summary continues: “The panel found that Mr Blanchard does not expect to reoffend as he believes he has now managed to address the triggers of his offending.”

“He believes that the work he did in prison helped him to cope. The psychologist retained by Mr Blanchard’s legal representative supported his release on parole and believed that he had gained insight into his offending behaviour and could be safely dealt with in the community.

“All other witnesses did not support the release.”

It continued: “The panel reviewed Mr Blanchard’s probation officer’s release plan and balanced his proposals against the assessed risks. The plan included a requirement to reside in specific accommodation and strict restrictions on Mr Blanchard’s contacts, movement and activities.

“Mr Blanchard would be subject to extensive supervision by probation officers.

“The Panel found that there was a lack of clarity as to whether Mr Blanchard was able to speak openly about future risk situations. The Panel considered that the discharge plan would be highly dependent on external regulatory controls and licensing conditions.”

An unusually detailed summary of the decision stated: “After considering the circumstances of his offence, the progress made in custody and the evidence presented at the hearing, the panel was not satisfied that release at this time would be safe for the protection of the public.”

“The panel found that Mr Blanchard caused very serious harm to the victims through his crimes. The panel considered his sexual interests to be pervasive. Mr Blanchard told the panel that he no longer had extreme fantasies.

“The panel accepted that this might be true, but it only had Mr Blanchard’s word to support this. The panel was concerned that he was unwilling to admit that these feelings might recur and he had not put in place strategies that would help him manage his own risk if this were to happen.

“The panel decided that there needed to be greater assurance that Mr Blanchard could safely manage himself and that he fully understood his risks and triggers. He will be eligible for further parole review in due course.”

At his sentencing at Bristol Crown Court in 2011, Blanchard was described as a “Svengali” figure who was at the centre of one of the “most heinous paedophile rings this country has ever seen”.

Blanchard was sentenced to an indefinite prison term for sexual abuse in 2011. He must serve at least nine years of the sentence. He has so far spent a total of twelve years behind bars.

The paedophile had convinced nursery teacher George to abuse 64 babies and toddlers in her care at Little Ted’s nursery in Efford, Plymouth.

She shared videos of her attacks with Blanchard and was sentenced to seven years in prison, releasing her in September 2019.

Blanchard was originally scheduled to have a one-day hearing on February 8, but as MailOnline revealed, this was postponed at the last minute due to the complexity and sensitivity of the appeal process.

The decision to grant the hearing an extra day was made to ensure the panel can thoroughly question Blanchard, who will give evidence via video link from a closed prison.

The extra time given to the hearing gave him a boost, as he was convinced that, based on his conduct in prison and the numerous courses he had taken to deal with his sex offenses, he had a good chance of being recommended for parole.

The former IT worker is currently being held at Category C HMP Wymott near Leyland, Lancaster, which has specialist facilities for housing sex offenders.

The two-day hearing reflected the high profile of the case, which made national headlines after Blanchard was described at his trial as a perverted “Svengali” who had persuaded numerous women to abuse children for his own pleasure.

At his sentencing at Bristol Crown Court in 2011, Blanchard was described as a “Svengali” figure at the centre of one of the “most vile paedophile rings this country has ever seen”.

Blanchard persuaded a number of middle-aged women he met through Facebook to abuse children for his sexual pleasure.

Angela Allen and Tracey Lyons, both of whom were imprisoned for their roles in the ring, have already been released from prison.

The police only discovered their activities when Blanchard forgot to log out of his private email account and his business partner discovered images of child abuse in the Manchester company.

Police officers outside Little Ted’s daycare in Laira, Plymouth, after it was closed

After the verdict, Detective Constable Andy Pilling of Greater Manchester Police said: “Blanchard is the common link between all these women.”

“However, no one should fall into the misconception that they were forced into child abuse – they participated voluntarily.”

The families of the many young victims were allowed to write statements calling for Blanchard’s possible release.

George cruelly refused to give police the names of all her victims, which meant a decade of “hell” for the families.

Blanchard’s last appeal was in 2020 and was denied.