LONGUEUIL, Que. — One of Canada's worst cyber predators who targeted 55 teenage girls has been handed a 10-year prison sentence.

Nicolas Stone used the Internet to lure young girls -- aged between 12 and 17 -- and would encourage them to get undressed in front of their webcam.

He then convinced a number of the girls to meet him in person and engage in sex acts.

The 35-year-old man received his sentence today in a Montreal-area courthouse.

With the 55 months he's already spent in prison, Stone could be free in a few years.

The judge rendering the sentence said there was no apparent precedent in Canada for a case with so many victims.

Stone's lawyer expressed satisfaction with the penalty. He said the man had already begun paying his debt to society.

"We need to consider the gravity (of the crime) but also the path that led here," attorney Robert LaHaye told reporters later.

"(Stone) wasn't free -- he was locked up. He was serving his sentence even before receiving it. Furthermore, he took positive steps by seeking treatment."

Stone -- a father of three whose marriage broke up as a result of the charges -- would use a popular instant-messaging program to engage the girls in conversation.