A MAN used his notoriety on the social media site TikTok to groom an impressionable young follower for sex, a court heard.

Within days of the underage girl first contacting him, Marcus Pinder was meeting her for sexual encounters in his car, often while parked in deserted industrial estates, but also on a farm track.

Durham Crown Court was told that although he told her he wanted to marry her and wanted her to have his child, she felt she was too young.

But the court heard he began making increasingly depraved sexual demands on the girl, often being forcibly rough with her during intercourse and seeking to choke her.

He also asked her to wear her school uniform on one of their liaisons, so he could use the tie to choke her while having sex.

She went along with his requests as she had earlier agreed to send him compromising indecent photos of herself and, as he retained these images, it made her feel “vulnerable”.

Pinder later persuaded her to introduce him to one of her friends, hoping for a “three-some”, which never took place, but he did go on to have sex with the second girl, also in his car.

Paul Cleasby, prosecuting, said Pinder’s activities came to light after the second girl disclosed what happened to her to a school friend, who was so concerned she contacted the girl’s mother, who informed police.

The first girl also informed a school safeguarding officer that she was in a relationship with a man aged 25.

As the net began to close on Pinder he rang her asking her to delete everything from her phone.

He was arrested last November, in Southampton, giving police a prepared statement saying he had sex at least ten times with the first girl, who had made the initial contact with him, and he claimed she suggested the “three-some”.

Pinder also claimed the other girl wanted to meet up with him alone, and he said at no time did he reasonably believe either girl was under 18.

Mr Cleasby said Pinder boasted to police having more than 40,000 followers on TikTok.

A provisional trial date was fixed for later this year, but the 25-year-old defendant, of Shawbrow View, Bishop Auckland, admitted eight counts of sexual activity with a child and one of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity, at a hearing earlier this month.

Victim impact statements were read to the sentencing hearing outlining the psychological and physical harm suffered by both girls, one of whom has since self-harmed.

Robert Mochrie, for Pinder, read a letter typed by him apologising to both girls and their families, as well as expressing his remorse, accepting the blame for everything that took place.

Mr Mochrie said Pinder was still a young man who, “bitterly regrets his actions.”

He said the case should serve to warn young people of the, “often dangerous world of social media,” as site users seek to gain, “fame or notoriety”.

Imposing a six-year prison sentence, Mr Justice Lavender told Pinder: “Your actions have had distressingly harmful outcomes for these girls.”

He made Pinder subject to restrictions under a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and registration as a sex offender, both, “until further order”.

Restraining orders also prohibit him from contacting or approaching either victim, also, “until further order.”