A CHILD abuser who tried to contact his victim from behind bars so he could be with her when he was released has been given an extended prison sentence.

Darren Gricewith, 42, sent a letter to a friend of the victim via a fellow prisoner within three months of being jailed. He had been sentenced to more than five years for his sexual offences against the 14-year-old girl, said Paul Abrahams, prosecuting, and he was permanently banned from contacting the girl under a court order.

Instead of his message reaching the girl as he had intended, it ended up in the hands of the police.

The barrister said: "Certainly most troublingly, in the letter he says 'I want her back when I am out'."

Judge Jim Spencer QC told Gricewith: "You knew full well, in my judgement, that you should not contact her and this is why you went to these extremes in order to contact this girl. The fact that you had just been sentenced makes your case worse."

He added six months to Gricewith's total sentence.

Gricewith, of Lucas Avenue, Clifton, pleaded guilty to breaching a sexual offences prevention order, which was made on January 29. Among other provisions, it banned him indefinitely from trying to contact the girl in any way, directly or through other people.

On the same day, he was jailed for 13 sexual offences against the girl, 12 of engaging her in sexual activity and one of arranging to meet her for sexual activity. Three of the offences were committed while he was on bail having been charged with the others.

Alex Menary, defending, said the letter had been sent at a time when Gricewith was "in something of a state." Since then, he had changed prisons and was now happier in his new surroundings.

"It is very difficult to describe it as a sophisticated attempt to contact her," said the defence barrister.

Mr Abrahams said when the boyfriend of the victim's friend was in prison, he was handed the letter from another prisoner he knew as "Joe" who asked him to take it to the victim's friend.