A man who sent explicit sex messages to schoolgirls, sometimes posing as a youth, was caught in a sting operation going to meet a 14-year-old.

James Alexander Petch did not realise that the Laura he was due to see in Halifax was actually fictitious and that he had been set up by Online Paedophile Investigations who expose such predators.

Instead he was filmed and the footage of him was put on Youtube, Patrick Palmer prosecuting told Leeds Crown Court yesterday.

Petch was initially arrested in March last year at his home in Enfield Drive, Batley after inciting one girl aged 15 in text messages to perform sexual acts.

He asked her to send him photographs of herself and her knickers, pairs of which were found with her DNA on in his chest of drawers among his boxer shorts.

He also sent her suggestive photos of himself sometimes wearing women’s underwear.

Mr Palmer told the court Petch was bailed while his laptop was further examined and his phone was analysed. During the time he was in contact with the 15-year-old he was also found to be sending messages to three other girls.

One lived in North Somerset and was persuaded to send photograph of herself including topless after sexual messages in which they discussed his driving down for sex.

He even used a photo of a boy in his late teens to support his profile.

Adam Birkby said Petch began leading a double life after becoming depressed by the death of his father. “Part of the time he lived a law-abiding and settled life but he had this dark side to him.”

He said Petch had not had physical contact with the girls concerned and now appreciated the seriousness of what he had been doing and that he needed help.

Petch, 36, admitted 11 charges of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, four of making indecent photos, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, causing a child to watch a sexual act and attempting to meet a child following grooming.

He was jailed for four years eight months.

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