A MAN has denied allegations that he groomed and incited an underage girl to undress and commit a sex act in social media chats.

Robert George Kyle, 25, is charged over the alleged sexually explicit nature of web correspondence with the 13-year-old girl, while communicating with her over a period of about two weeks, following initial contact in a computer game chat party, in March 2013.

He is also accused of having hundreds of indecent images of other children, said to have been found on home computer equipment and a lap-top, seized by police as part of their investigation into his exchanges with the girl.

Appearing for a preliminary hearing in the case at Durham Crown Court today (Thursday March 12), Mr Kyle denied a total of nine charges.

One relates to him committing a sex act viewed by the girl via web cam, while three are of him attempting to cause or incite a girl of 13 to engage in sexual activity.

The girl in question, who cannot be identified, is said to live away from the region.

Four further counts relate to Mr Kyle having downloaded hundreds of indecent images of children, mostly in the least serious of the three categories for such material, while he is also accused of a single charge of possessing an extreme pornographic image.

Having denied the charges a start date for a trial at the court was agreed for August 26.

Mr Kyle, of Yoden Road, Peterlee, County Durham, was bailed to return for a pre-trial case management hearing on May 15.