A BUSINESSMAN who seduced two schoolgirls after sending them a series of sexual text messages was last night behind bars.

Johnathan Degenhart lied about his age and encouraged one of the youngsters to skip lessons and go to his home where they had consensual sexual activity.

Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday that he also asked the girls to join him on a trip to the countryside where he kissed and indecently assaulted one of them.

When one of the victims was encouraged to go to the police, details of the offences against her friend emerged and 36-year-old Degenhart was arrested last December.

Police technical experts then examined his computer equipment and discovered the former RAF serviceman had been downloading sick images of child pornography.

The former pet shop owner was jailed for three years and nine months after he admitted two counts of sexual activity with a child last November, and 16 of making indecent photographs.

Tim Gittens, prosecuting, told the court that almost 700 images and videos of child abuse were found on the computer – including sadistic sex acts on girls as young as ten.

Judge Peter Bowers told Degenhart: “If ever there was a case which indicates the clear link between viewing pornography then going on to commit offences, I think this is it.”

The judge joined Caroline Goodwin, mitigating, in saying the case underlined the need for restrictions and improved security on such internet sites.

Miss Goodwin described Degenhart as “weak” and “socially immature” but said he now accepted that he should have resisted the temptation to get involved with them.

“He is an individual who, at times, has all the hallmarks of an insecure, under-confident individual, and the front that he puts up belays reality,” said Miss Goodwin.

“Unfortunately, in his case, the combination of the internet and the deceit he found himself involved in, it was almost as if a rolling stone gathers moss and he was, in effect, powerless – because of his weak personality – to prevent it.”

Degenhart, of Turner Walk, Hartlepool, was banned from having unsupervised contact with under-18s and placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely.

Judge Bowers gave Degenhart a discounted prison sentence because he pleaded guilty and did not force his victims to relive their ordeals in court.