A MAN from Cumbria who used social media to groom a 12-year-old girl has been jailed for three years and four months.

Darren Chambers, of Honister Road, Whitehaven, admitted offences of inciting a girl under the age of 13 to engage in sexual activity and causing a child under the age of 13 to look at an image of sexual activity and was sentenced at Carlisle Crown Court on Friday.

The court heard how Chambers contacted the schoolgirl after seeing her profile on the photo-sharing social media site Instagram.

Chambers then took the girl’s Snapchat username from her Instagram bio and used Snapchat – the messaging app – to contact her.

The messages lasted from 26 March 2016 until 6 April 2016.

The court heard that from the very beginning of their contact, the 12-year-old girl was up front about her age but Chambers still quickly developed their correspondence into a sexual conversation.

He sent her pictures of his erect penis, urged her to perform sex acts on herself and asked her to send nude photographs of herself. He also sent a message asking for a video chat via Skype so she could “do the same as last time” – suggesting she had sent a video to him in the past.

During one exchange the girl sent an image of herself aged 11 wearing her school uniform. Chambers replied: “You were sexy at 11-years-old.”

In his police interview Chambers agreed that the girl had made it clear from the beginning that she was 12 but that he had convinced himself she was 17 or 18.

He told officers that he had no intention of ever meeting her but evidence showed 13 separate occasions when Chambers, via messages, had asked the girl to meet him.

Detective Constable Carolyn Orr of Cumbria Constabulary said: “This case highlights the dangers predatory individuals pose to young people who may feel they are innocently using social media to communicate with friends.

“Chambers was able to commit these offences because he was able to open up a private line of communication with the victim whose contact details were publicly displayed.

“It is vital that we get across to people – most importantly young people – the potential dangers posed on social media. By acknowledging these risks and taking steps to reduce them we can do more to safeguard young people and protect them from people like Darren Chambers.”