A 20 year-old man has been given a two year community order for child sexual offences.

Lewis Hurren of Kirkley Run, Lowestoft, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court charged with causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, under Section 10 of the Sexual Offences Act, with two matters involving a real child and one involving a decoy.

The court heard from prosecutor Richard Potts that Hurren was 17 when he contacted a nine-year-old girl over social media and another who said she was 13, but was actually over the age of consent.

Mr Potts said the mother of the nine-year-old discovered on her daughter’s phone there were messages from the defendant and that her daughter had been sending photographs of her naked body to him in response to requests.

The barrister said a sexualised conversation took place over a period of days in August 2020.

The mother found the photographs and contacted the police.

Hurren was arrested and his phone was seized and it became apparent there was a further chain of conversation during August and September with the other girl in a similar manner, Potts told the court.

Defence barrister Simon Gladwell gave mitigation for Hurren and said: “His age and his learning difficulties are crucial in this case.

“In the delay of three years the court has seen he hasn’t committed any further offence.

He added: “He has learnt his lesson, and he is not committing any more offences.”

Judge Nicola Talbot-Hadley noted there was no actual contact and no attempt to meet up with the girls.

While she was delivering her sentence for contacting the nine-year-old Hurren spoke out from the dock and said, "I thought she was 16" but Judge Talbot-Hadley continued and said, “either way, the messaging turned into inappropriate messaging and you asked for naked photographs and asked for her to engage in sexual activity.”

She added: “I accept your learning difficulties made you a lot younger than your years would suggest.

“This case needs to mitigated down significantly to take into account age and mental difficulties.”

Judge Talbot-Hadley further said to the defendant: “You have got a background whereby you’ve been exposed to inappropriate matters that you shouldn’t have at an early age.”

Hurren was given a two-year community order, told to complete an accredited sexual conviction programme, 50 hours of unpaid work along with 30 rehabilitation activity days and a sexual harm prevention order was imposed for five years.

“I want you to learn how to live a normal life with normal relationships with other young people.” Ms Talbot-Hadley told the defendant before he left the dock.