A MAN who pestered an underage girl less than half his age for sex has been jailed.

Matthew Nicholls, now 40, texted and messaged the 15-year-old through Facebook with his sexual requests for nearly a year, knowing she was under 16, said Chloe Hudson, prosecuting.

In a victim personal statement, the girl said: “My childhood was taken away from me by someone I trusted.”

She now has difficulty forming meaningful relationships with people.

“You were pestering her for sex,” Judge Sean Morris told Nicholls.

“I have no doubt that if she had acceded to your requests you would have gone through with it.

“She had the good sense to reject your advances and bring it to the attention of others.”

Nicholls, of Grange Crescent, Tadcaster, pleaded guilty to inciting a child to engage in a sexual act on the day he was due to be tried for a more serious sexual offence.

He was jailed for 10 months, made subject to a sexual harm prevention order for five years and put on the sex offenders’ register for seven years at York Crown Court.

The more serious offence was left on file, which means it will appear on his criminal record, but not as a conviction.

Defence barrister Geraldine Kelly said he had now deleted all his social media accounts.

“He now recognises the temptation and is doing what he can to avoid it,” she said.

Miss Hudson said Nicholls was more than twice the teenager’s age.

The messages asking the girl to have sex with him lasted right up to when she told her mother what was happening.

Miss Kelly said Nicholls had found it very difficult to accept his responsibility for what he had done because of the shame it would bring him.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: “Nicholls’ predatory use of social media to target this vulnerable child showed a vile determination and highlights a lack of online regulation which must be addressed.

“Sadly, the young girl has suffered serious emotional turmoil due to Nicholls’ appalling actions, and we hope she receives the support she needs to overcome this. We would urge anyone who has experienced similar approaches or abuse to speak out and seek support, and again call on the Government to introduce legislation to ensure our children can be safe online.”

To find out more about the NSPCC’s Wild West Web campaign, go to www.nspcc.org.uk/what-we-do

Children can contact Childline, 24/7, on 0800 1111. Adults concerned about children’s wellbeing can phone the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 8005000.