A SEXUAL predator has been jailed for nearly seven years after using video game Fortnite to initiate a sexual relationship with a vulnerable schoolgirl.

David Wood “stole his victim’s childhood” after initially befriending her while playing the popular online game.

The 14-year-old soon became “infatuated” with Wood, 37, and was regularly invited around to his Washington home where the pair engaged in sexual activity.

Detectives’ initial attempts to bring Wood to justice were thwarted in November last year as the case was dropped in court due to insufficient evidence, and the victim was unwilling to support a prosecution.

Officers later unearthed a series of messages that Wood had sent to the teenage girl asking her to keep quiet about their relationship.

He was subsequently jailed for 15 months for perverting the course of justice.

But now, three months on, Wood has been successfully convicted of his crimes after he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child and taking indecent photographs of a child at Newcastle Crown Court last month.

On Wednesday he was sentenced to six years and eight months.

Detective Constable Catherine Gibson, from Northumbrian Police, who led the investigation, said: “This was a complex case that lasted nearly a year and involved a very vulnerable victim who was seduced and manipulated by an older man that she had met online.

“This conviction outlines our commitment to ensuring sexual predators who target vulnerable individuals online are rightfully brought to justice.”