An former lorry driver who tried to encourage what he thought was a 13-year-old girl to send indecent images has been jailed.

Stephen Brown, 37, formerly of Milner Close, Caterham, used the social media messenger Kik in May 2015 to talk to a person he thought was a girl aged 13.

When he found out her age he said that he was 34 and made the comment: “I like young girls they look sexy”.

Brown then asked her to send him a picture because he wanted to see if she looked “HOT”.

More suggestive comments from Brown would follow before asking her: “Can anyone see ur phone [sic]”.

He then sent an explicit image and later asked her to confirm she wanted to meet him "even though it could be classed as illegal what we do" and "the old bill would lock me up x lol"

Brown contacted the girl 11 more times on Kik between May 12 and July 7 2015.

Yesterday (June 24) at Croydon Crown Court, he was given a 21-month jail sentence, suspended for two years and put on the sex offenders’ register for 15 years following an investigation by the National Crime Agency.

Brown, now of Uxbridge Street in Burton-on-Trent, admitted three counts of making indecent images of children, possessing extreme pornography and causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

A charge of attempting to commit an offence of meeting a child following sexual grooming was left to lie on file.

He was also given a sexual harm prevention order for the same duration, as well as being ordered to attend a 30-day rehabilitation court, perform 200 hours of community service and pay £500 in costs.

Robert Willis, the senior investigating officer, said: “Every child in sexual abuse images is a victim and everyone using these sick images reinforces the market for the abuse.

“Brown’s deviant interest in children is clear for all to see in the messages he sent.”