A pervert who groomed a vulnerable teenager to have sex with was caught when two of his friends called the police after they became alarmed by his sick intentions.

Mitchell Cox told his group of friends how he intended to ply the 15-year-old girl with booze and drugs before he intended to ‘shag her’ in a flat he had rented for a day.

The 20-year-old’s sick plan was stopped when police turned up at the Middlesbrough flat before anything seriously untoward was allowed to take place.

Teesside Crown Court heard how Cox was also caught in possession of a photograph of another teenage girl performing a sex act on him and another one of an unknown 12-year-old lifting up her top to expose her body.

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Christine Egerton, prosecuting, said the defendant had known the girl for two years and had shared multiple messages with the 15-year-old before luring her to the flat for a party.

“He said he had rented the flat for a day and that he wanted have all of his friends round, he said there would be alcohol and cannabis there,” she said.

“She gave him some money and he got her some Smirnoff Ice before telling the defendant that she had a boyfriend. They arrived at the flat, initially with another male but he left after about ten minutes.”

Miss Egerton said Cox started to roll a joint before realising the police were at the front of the flats.

She added: “The police were there because one of the friends called the police after he (Cox) said ‘we’re going to have a joint, have a drink and then I am going to try to shag her’.”

The court heard that witnesses knew the girl was only 15 and knew what Cox intended to do with her in the flat when they were alone.

The girl’s mother told the court that the incident had had an impact on their relationship as she was more protective of her vulnerable daughter.

Cox, of Rockferry Close, Stockton, pleaded guilty to meeting a child following sexual grooming; possession of an indecent image of a child in Category C; and taking an indecent image of a child.

Victoria Lamballe, in mitigation, said since the offence happened in June 2020 her client had become a father and has committed no further offences in that 28-month period.

She said the relatively small age difference between the defendant and the complainant made the offence different from many similar cases that end up coming to court.

Recorder Thomas Moran sentenced Cox to a two-year custodial sentence, suspended for two years.

He added: “Fortunately, because you made no secret of your plans to have sex with her, it led to the police being alerted by a responsible person, and the police arrived just in time to stop the sexual activity, you had planned, taking place.”

Cox was ordered to attend 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days, attend the Horizon programme to reduce the risk of him reoffending, and carry out 150 hours of unpaid work.

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