Jail For Man Who Groomed Girl

28 January 2011, 11:35 | Updated: 10 February 2011, 15:06

A man who contacted a teenage girl online, encouraged her to strip on a webcam and arranged to meet her in Cambridge has been jailed.

56 year old David Pugh [pictured - right], originally from Surrey, met the 14 year old on the internet while posing under a false name on a social networking site last January.

He sent her private messages, encouraged her to strip in front of a webcam and arranged to meet her on Parker's Piece in February last year.

Pugh traveled up from his home to stay with his mother in Bedford the night before.

However, before the pair could meet, charity the NSPCC received information and the police were called.

Pugh was then arrested in Bedford, and has now pleaded guilty to arranging to meet a girl under 16 following sexual grooming and four counts of inciting a child to commit a sexual act at Huntingdon Crown Court.

He has been sentenced to 16 months in jail, and is now the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order banning him from working with children for 10 years.

Detective Constable Nikki Perry, who investigated, said: "Pugh targeted a vulnerable young girl and attempted to groom her for sex.

Fortunately, we were tipped off about his plans to meet the girl and he was arrested.

This case highlights the dangers of social networking sites and the importance of monitoring your child¿s use of the internet."