A MAN who befriended a teenage girl on Facebook and then took her to woodland was yesterday jailed for sexual activity with a child.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how Scott Harry Fawcett corresponded with the 15-year-old on the social networking site and arranged to meet her outside a North-East youth club on June 6 last year.

Paul Newcomb, prosecuting, said the girl told 23-year-old Fawcett, formerly of Granville Terrace, Binchester, near Spennymoor, County Durham, that she was 15 before he met her at the youth club and took her to a wooded area, where he kissed her.

The teenager later told police “it did not feel right” and that she pulled away, telling Fawcett to stop, but he continued with his behaviour.

Fawcett admitted three counts of sexual activity with a child but a charge of rape was left on file after the prosecution offered no evidence.

Mr Newcomb said: “The defendant told her not to tell anyone what they had done because what they had done was illegal.”

In interview the girl, who was described in court as extremely vulnerable, said she was confused.

Mr Newcomb said: “She didn’t want to have sex with the defendant, she said she wanted to get to know him better.”

Fawcett admitted further offences of threats to kill, criminal damage and assault, on August 19, concerning a former partner.

Mr Newcomb said Fawcett grabbed the woman by her throat and smashed a window during a row while he was on bail for the earlier matters.

He also telephoned the woman’s solicitor to say she would be “dead within a few hours”.

Peter Makepiece, mitigating, said Fawcett was of previous good character and had admitted the offences at the earliest opportunity.

He was jailed for three years for sexual activity with a child, and a further one year, to run consecutively, for the matters concerning his former partner.