A MAN who posed as a teenager and persistently tried to arrange to meet two underage girls for sex, was jailed for two years.

Lee Whittleston, then 21, had initially claimed to be 15 and did go on to meet one of the girls, who was aged 14 at the time, on two occasions, but nothing more than kisses and cuddles took place.

Durham Crown Court heard that he boasted to others on one of their liaisons that she was his girlfriend, despite her wearing her school uniform.

But, when Whittleston tried to arrange a third meeting, with the clear indication he wanted to have sex with the girl, her mother became aware and put a stop to it, in a late night phone call.

Despite warning him off, the woman later discovered he had still bombarded her daughter with further messages, in some threatening to self-harm if she did not go along with his requests.

When she ignored his messages and appeared to cool he turned his attentions to a second girl, aged 13, again initially claiming to be either 15 or 16.

Although she was warned that he was “weird” by the other girl, she communicated with him for about a month, but she did not go along with his requests for a rendezvous.

Chris Baker, prosecuting, said Whittleston told her he loved her and knew where she lived, but when she did not take up his offer to meet for sex, telling him to wait until she was older, he again threatened to self-harm.

The girl told Whittleston he did not even know her, but he repeated that he loved her and if she would not meet him he would kill himself, and, “it would be her fault”.

Mr Baker said she thought his behaviour was “creepy” and she was wary of being out alone.

When she spoke to the other girl again, she was told he was trying to groom her, and police were informed of his activities.

He was arrested and initially claimed not to know their ages, but he conceded he did send one of the girls, “some bad messages”.

Whittleston, now 22, of Abingdon Road, Easington, near Saltburn, admitted two counts of causing or inciting a girl to engage in sexual activity.

He admitted a further charge of meeting an underage girl following sexual grooming.

Chris Wood, mitigating, said despite his age, Whittleston was, “not fully socially-developed” trying to enter into sexual relationships with individuals despite having little knowledge about them.

Mr Wood said Whittleston, who is of previous good character, accepted his guilt and concedes he needs help to address his behaviour, but wants to, “make a fresh start”.

Jailing him for two years, Judge Simon Hickey told Whittleston that despite being “warned off”, he attempted to “emotionally blackmail” the vulnerable girls to take him up on his advances.

He made the defendant subject to restrictions as to future contact with underage females, as part of a 15-year sexual harm prevention order, while Whittleston must register as a sex offender for ten years.