Undercover PC foils murder

And although it proved to be the most sickening job of Ronnie Howard's career, it saw two sex monsters banged up for life.

Ronnie's story of his time at Stafford Prison is detailed in his new autobiography, Ronnie's Looking For Trouble. The book reveals how Ronnie, who spent 23 years as an undercover officer, cracked a catalogue of horrific crimes and saw numerous offenders jailed.

He tells how he was sent into Stafford Prison with just seven days to get close to convicted perverts Michael O'Neill and Paul Grosvenor.

And it was a tip-off that revealed they were plotting their next attack – despite being due for release.

"My cover story was I had sexually abused my daughter and this had been slipped onto the prison grapevine," Ronnie's book reveals.

"I recognised the two targets but didn't speak.

"Greasy-looking O'Neill made the first move and told me 'We are in here for the same reason you are'."

"O'Neill added in a whisper, 'We need to trust each other. Who knows, we might become friends'."

And after contact was made, the operation was on, with Ronnie getting close to the two men, and arranging a meeting on the outside.

It was then, at the pair's flat in West Bromwich, that O'Neill, aged 49, and Grosvenor, 46, started revealing their plans to prey on young victims. "As a father with a daughter it sickened me to play that role but I just switched off and lived the lie," said Ronnie.

The three talked of their sexual targets. More details began to emerge that the pair would entice girls to a van by saying they had lost a dog. They would give them booze, and take it in turns to video each other having sex with the girls. They drove to a deserted spot at Eastnor Castle near Malvern, Worcestershire, where they talked of throwing the girls down a big cave.

Now Ronnie realised that the kidnap plans had turned to kidnap and murder.

He secured their confessions on miniature recording equipment. All evidence was seized and both men were sentenced to life.