JAILED: Man who groomed young girl over Xbox online

Jamie Dibble, who suffers from cerebral palsy, struck up a friendship with the 11-year-old girl over their Xbox game machines, Stafford Crown Court heard.

But then Dibble turned the friendship into a sexual one, asking her to carry out sexual acts on herself and sending each other intimate photographs, prosecutor Mr David Bennett said.

He said that although they never actually met one another, there was a lengthy period of contact not only over Xbox, but also via mobile phone messaging, Skype and Facebook.

The illicit relationship came to light when the girl's brother told their mother that his sister had been seeing a17-year -old, Mr Bennett said.

The parents were very concerned about what had been happening and their daughter was at first evasive until her mobile phone was examined.

Dibble, aged 24, of Lime Road, Cannock admitted inciting a child to sexual activity, making indecent photos of a child, causing a child to view indecent photos and possessing indecent photos.

Mr Neil Gerrity, mitigating, said Dibble suffered from cerebral palsy and struggled to make friends and form relationships.

The court was told he had feelings of isolation and loneliness and found it easier to interact over the internet.

Sentencing Dibble, Judge Mark Eades told him: "You are an adult, a father of a child, you know perfectly well what an adult relationship is like, but you chose, online, to indulge in a relationship with an 11-year-old girl.

"You knew it was wrong, you did it for your own titillation. It went on for some months, involving a huge amount of traffic, to and fro.

"This was not a on-off isolated offence, there was considerable groom and persuasion by you and involved a number of different activities."

He also ordered Dibble to be registered with the police as a sex offender for life.

He will be banned from working with children for life and was made subject to a sexual harm prevention order.