AN East Lancashire builder been found guilty of paying to have sex with a 14-year-old schoolgirl.
Michael Booth, 43, was convicted of sexual assault, causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and paying for the sexual services of a child.
The builder, of Moor Lane, Padiham, admitted having an intimate encounter with the girl in the back of his van — but said he thought she was 18.
He will now be sentenced at a later date.
A three-day trial heard that Booth handed over £60 in Manchester’s gay district before abusing the girl.
The girl described her ordeal to police after she was found at an address in Oldham.
Booth said he had not known the girl was under 18 and had no reason to believe she was any younger.
“I always ask how old they are for my own peace of mind,” he said.
The court heard that Booth had been stopped by police in the red light districts in Blackburn in February 2008 and in Burnley in August 2011.
He said he used prostitutes for “once or twice a week” for several years.
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