A MAN who continued to have sex with an underage girl – despite her telling him her true age – has been jailed.

Shaun Curbison already had a conviction from 2012 for sexual activity with a child when he began a relationship with the teenage victim.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 24-year-old went camping with the complainant and also had sex with her at his home.

The girl initially told Curbison she was 16, but later admitted she was in fact 15. However the relationship continued, prosecutor Rod Turton said.

Police discovered Curbison’s activities and arrested him in August last year.

Joe Hedworth, mitigating, said the girl gave her consent to sex and approached Curbison over the internet to begin the relationship.

He said: “When the complainant disclosed her true age she stayed at the defendant’s two nights and the pair had sex on three occasions.”

Mr Hedworth said now “in the cold light of day” Curbison bore full responsibility for what had happened and realised he should have ended the relationship immediately when he became aware the complainant was 15.

He said: “He is greatly ashamed by his actions and is extremely anxious to convey that there will be no repetition of this kind of behaviour in the future.”

The barrister said 24-year-old Curbinson, of Neale Street, Tantobie, Stanley, County Durham, had endured an awful childhood and also described how he had been “terrified” during his nine month spell on remand in custody.

Judge Peter Bowers disagreed with an assertion from Mr Hedworth that there was not a significant disparity between defendant and complainant’s ages.

He told Curbison: “At the time you embarked upon this relationship you were on a suspended sentence and you were also on a sexual offences prevention order (SOPO).

“And yet you did not regard that as a serious warning about your behaviour towards teenage girls.”

He added: “You ought to have known better.”

Curbison, who admitted three counts of sexual activity with a child and three breaches of his SOPO, was jailed for three years, nine months and will be enrolled on a sex offender treatment programme.

The judge said Curbison was already on the sex offenders register and his SOPO would continue indefinitely.