A paedophile nursery worker from Birmingham has pleaded guilty to raping a toddler in his care and a string of offences linked to the online grooming of more than 20 other girls.

At Birmingham Crown Court, Paul Anthony Wilson admitted two counts of oral rape of a girl aged two or three years old and a further 45 charges of making and distributing indecent images and inciting youngsters to engage in sexual activity on the internet.

The 20-year-old, of Newbold Croft, Nechells, was charged with rape in January after his arrest on suspicion of child abuse prompted an investigation into his employment at the nearby Little Stars Nursery.

Wilson was warned that he was facing an indeterminate jail sentence.

Sentencing was provisionally set for July 27.

Dressed in a white T-shirt and blue jeans, Wilson stood with his right arm folded across his chest as he pleaded guilty to a total of 47 charges on a 50-count indictment.

It took the clerk more than 30 minutes to put the details of the charges to the unshaven nursery assistant, who looked downwards for most of the hearing, only raising his head to enter each individual plea.

Remanding Wilson in custody, Recorder of Birmingham Judge William Davis QC said it was highly likely that an indeterminate life sentence would be imposed when the offender is sentenced by a different judge in July.

"The public have to be protected from you," Judge Davis said. "It is almost inevitable that there will be what is called an indeterminate sentence."