A Brighton man has been jailed after using Facebook to incite a 12-year-old girl into sexual activity.
Brett Ford, 20, of Newick Road, Moulsecoomb, appeared at Lewes Crown Court yesterday (Monday 14 September).
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years and one month in prison for the offence. He will also have to be on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
Detective Constable Paul Hitchcock of Brighton’s Safeguarding and Investigation Unit, said: “We worked closely with the West Sussex missing person and CSE (child sexual exploitation) team during this investigation.
“This offence was committed by the defendant messaging the 12-year-old girl using Facebook.
“The messages were explicit in content where he sent the girl lewd images and tried to arrange to meet her for sex on several occasions this year.
“The custodial sentence sends a strong message that this kind of exploitative behaviour of children will not be tolerated.”
Sussex Police said: “If you have ever received messages of this kind or if you find that someone else has, please call Sussex Police on 101 or contact the charity WiSE (What is Sexual Exploitation) on 01273 222583.
“The WiSE Project is a service for young people who are experiencing sexual exploitation or are at risk of experiencing it.
“The project is also a point of call for advice and guidance for those working with young people who have suffered from sexual exploitation.”
