This is Derbyshire --A 23-YEAR-OLD man groomed a girl of 12 on Facebook, sending her lewd messages and a photograph in a bid to get her to meet for sex.
Matthew Draycott, who admitted inciting a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity, has been jailed for two years.
Draycott asked the girl to meet up on a number of occasions for sex, including in a park and at a bus stop.
She agreed but never turned up, Derby Crown Court was told.
After a few days, she told her dad about the messages. He told the police and Draycott was arrested.
Jailing Draycott, Judge Andrew Hamilton said: "You sought to procure a young girl for your own sexual pleasure – you trawled through a large number of people you were in contact with on Facebook and you came across her.
"You knew she was under age. You knew you should not have contact with her but you persisted."
He said that, when the girl told her father about what happened, she was clearly "distressed and upset".
The judge said Draycott, of Meadow View Road, Newhall, had "effectively groomed" the girl.
He added: "This court has to send out a message to people like you who trawl round young girls to get meetings with them to satisfy their own lusts. People like you go to prison."
Prosecutor Sonal Ahya said Draycott sent a Facebook friend request to the girl in May. She accepted, believing him to be a relative of one of her contacts.
"She said she was 14, nearly 15, and he asked her whether she liked older men. She said she did and subsequently they swapped mobile phone numbers, at his request," said Miss Ahya.
The prosecutor said the conversations became more sexual and on "more than one occasion" he made arrangements to meet her.
"Fortunately, none of the meetings took place," said Miss Ahya. "The defendant made it clear they were to meet for sexual intercourse."
He suggested her sister could also be involved and he sent her a lewd photograph of himself, said Miss Ahya.
Draycott also asked the girl to send pictures of herself, although she did not.
The girl told police she felt scared by what happened. Draycott was arrested on June 10 and initially denied even knowing the girl.
But when their conversations were put to him, he said he had been bored one night and had added her as a friend. He admitted that, had they met, he would have had sex with her, said Miss Ahya.
William Bennett, in mitigation, said Draycott had believed the girl was nearly 15.
He added that he was "very remorseful".
Draycott must sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years as well as obey a sexual offences prevention order, which bans him from being alone with any girl under 16.
He was also banned from working with children. Reported by This is 13 hours ago.