A “predatory” paedophile from Northampton who engaged in sexual activity with two girls under the age of 16 after he groomed them via messages on Facebook has been jailed for five years.

George Heritage, aged 21, of Northampton, appeared at Northampton Crown Court after he admitted two counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and meeting a child following sexual grooming

The court heard that Heritage made contact with his first victim he became ‘friends’ with her on Facebook.
Mark Van Der Swart, prosecuting, said Heritage persuaded the young girl to take a day off school so they could meet up

The court heard that Heritage went round to the girl’s house when she was alone and then began touching her in a sexual way.

Mr Van Der Swart said, despite the girls’ reluctance, Heritage had sex with her.

Heritage’s crimes came to light after the girl confided in a member of staff at her school and he was arrested in January 2014.

The court heard that, despite being on bail for two counts of sexual activity with a child, Heritage then made contact with another girl by messaging her on Facebook.

Mr Van der Swart said Heritage again persuaded the girl to meet up with him and invited to his house when his parent’s were away.

The court heard, on the day of the planned meeting, the girl’s mother became suspicious and looked at her daughter’s Facebook account.

More than 800 messages to Heritage were discovered, including some of a sexually explicit nature, and the girl was contacted and told to come home.

Mr Van Der Swart said: “It is the Crown’s case that if that telephone call had not been made, sexual activity would almost certainly have taken place, or at the very least attempted.”

Judge Lynne Tayton, sentencing, said she believed Heritage presented a “significant risk” of causing serious sexual harm to teenage girls under the age of 16.

She said: “In my view you exhibited a pattern of predatory behaviour in which you targeted vulnerable young girls.

“When you were bailed this should have stopped you in your tracks but you continued on a similar course of behaviour.”

Heritage was sentenced to five years in jail with an extended licence period of three years. He will serve two thirds of his sentence in jail and then released on licence. He will have to sign the sex offender’s register indefinitely. He must pay a victim surcharge of £120.