AN OBESE pervert who groomed what he thought was a 12-year-old girl and arranged to meet her for sex has been spared jail.

Preston Crown Court heard Hassan Ahmed Ashfaq, 20, sent the girl a video of himself performing a sex act and encouraged her to do the same.

Prosecutor Jeremy Grout-Smith said the girl was unable to because Ashfaq, described in court as a ‘loner’, was talking to an undercover officer.

Mr Grout-Smith said Ashfaq, of Carlton Gardens, Blackburn, had struck up a conversation with the girl in April, using the name ‘Emily Clarke’, on the social media application Kik. On June 1, the interaction became ‘live chat’ via Skype.

Mr Grout-Smith said: “On June 2 when she told him she was 12 and not 13 the defendant replied ‘wow’,

“He asked to see her picture. The police sent him a pre-recorded video which appeared to be the young girl in question.”

The court heard that on June 7 Ashfaq encouraged the girl to perform a sex act on Skype but the girl made an excuse. The defendant then asked for a photograph.

On June 8, Ashfaq began making plans to meet the girl at Blackburn Cinema.

Mr Grout-Smith said there was a brief period where Emily stopped replying Ashfaq but a two-way conversation resumed on June 21.

On June 22, Ashfaq arranged to meet the girl in Corporation Park. Police watched him enter the park at 10.15am and leave 15 minutes later. Although he went on to tell police he had changed his mind about meeting Emily, Ashfaq sent the girl a message saying: “Where are you? I waited until 10.45am.”

Later that day he resisted arrest when police went to his house and refused to hand over his mobile phone.

Defending, Kathryn Johnson said her client had spent a significant amount of time on remand and been the target of bullies because of his physical size and the charges he faced.

Ashfaq pleaded guilty to attempting to meet with a girl under 16 to engage in sexual activity, two counts of attempting to engage in sexual activity in the presence of a child and one count of attempting to cause or incite a girl aged 13 to engage in sexual activity.

Sentencing Ashfaq to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, Judge Heather Lloyd said he was incredibly lucky to not be facing immediate custody. He was given an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and put on the Sex Offender’s Register for 10 years.