A MAN abducted a teenage girl in care before abandoning her drunk, distressed and alone on a street in the dark, a court heard.

Sean Harman, 38, who has a background in the sex industry, defied a police order to stay away from the 16-year-old girl, who is in the care of the local authority, said Simon Waley, prosecuting at York Crown Court.

Those responsible for the York girl were so concerned about the friendship developing between the two, police served a formal notice banning him from having any contact with her.

Harman refused to sign the order and three days later he took the girl on a night out, the barrister said. She had a lot of alcohol and they argued.

Mr Waley said Harman then appeared to have "left her to her own devices”. 

“The police were called in the evening by a member of the public who had witnessed (the girl) on a street," he said. "She was clearly distressed and heavily in drink.” The girl was found at 10.30pm.

Alex Menary, mitigating for Harman, said: “There is no suggestion he had taken her away against her will. Until he was issued with the order, he would say he wasn’t aware of her age.”

Mr Waley said Harman was subject at the time of the abduction to a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, for actual bodily harm to a photographer.

“He had been involved in providing models for glamour photography,” said Mr Waley. The Honorary Recorder of York, Judge Paul Batty QC, described Harman’s photography actions as being part of the sex industry and asked for more details about the ABH offence, which the prosecution were unable to provide immediately. Sentence was adjourned until tomorrow.

Harman, formerly of York, and now of Meanwood Road, Leeds, pleaded guilty to abducting a child in care and breaching the suspended sentence, and was remanded in custody.

In addition to the ABH offence, he has a previous conviction for harassment in 2009. He lived in York at the time of the abduction last autumn.

Mr Menary said Harman had turned his life around since leaving York and had “turned his back on drink and drugs”.

He had also got qualifications and a full-time job in the electrician trade. The defence barrister said Harman’s employer was willing to keep his job open, provided he was released from jail soon. Harman had also done the unpaid work and supervision which had been conditions of the suspended prison sentence. He was still subject to a community order for offences committed after he was sentenced for the actual bodily harm in February 2015 and before the abduction.