A 23-YEAR-OLD man admitted sending a succession of sexual Facebook messages to a teenager from Bolton.

Bolton Crown Court heard how Kieran Price, of Ash Grove, Caldicot, Monmouthshire, communicated with the 13-year-old girl over a 17 day period in 2018.

David Temkin, prosecuting, said the victim’s mother had discovered the messages after her daughter had used a friend’s mobile phone to access Facebook.

She discovered a “stream of messages” between the two which were described by Judge Martin Walsh as “grossly inappropriate”.

Fearing the two were arranging to meet, the girl’s mother contacted the police and Price was interviewed by officers in September 2019 when he admitted contacting the girl through Facebook and FaceTime.

Mr Temkin added Price, who pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual communication with a child, was aware of the girl’s age and discouraged her from revealing the relationship.

Judge Walsh said Price had been “covert and furtive” and made him the subject of a five year sexual harm prevention order and placed him on the sex offenders’ register for five years.

He was also handed a 36 month community order with a 30 day rehabilitation requirement.