A MAN who sent sexually charged messages to a teenage girl before the victim’s mother intervened has been ordered to sign the sexual offenders register.

Charles Xuereb, of Forest Park Avenue, Clacton, appeared in court dressed in a t-shirt and grey jogging bottoms on Monday after he admitted communicating with a person under the age of 16 for the purpose of gaining sexual gratification.

The court heard how Xuereb, 22, had been messaging the girl on Snapchat and WhatsApp before the victim’s mother – who attended Monday’s hearing via video link – found out about the communication and sent the messages to the police.

Xuereb was accompanied by a member of his family in the court room and was visibly emotional when he was spared jail by judge Alexander Mills at Chelmsford Crown Court.

Gazette: Guilty - Charles Xuereb admitted the offence and was sentenced in court on MondayGuilty - Charles Xuereb admitted the offence and was sentenced in court on Monday (Image: Newsquest)

Judge Mills said: “These are matters that require a high level of commitment and require you to face up to your offending and put you in situations you will find difficult.

“The pre-sentence report suggests that you are eligible for and willing to undertake unpaid work in the time you have available to you – that will eat into the free time and will no doubt serve as a greater punishment than a short period of immediate custody.

“Imposing a suspended sentence order means you have the matter hanging over you, and were you to offend during the currency of that suspended sentence order, then you can be brought back to court.”

Judge Kelly imposed a six-week prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered Xuereb to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work in the next year.

Xuereb must also sign the sexual offenders’ register and has been barred from working with children.

Gazette: Charged - Charles Xuereb admitted intentionally communicating with an under-16 for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratificationCharged - Charles Xuereb admitted intentionally communicating with an under-16 for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification (Image: Pexels)

Judge Kelly continued: “The sexual harm prevention order is both necessary and proportionate and I impose it for five years – the minimum amount of time.

Addressing the court about the victim’s mother, Judge Kelly said: “It can’t have been easy for her to come along today, nor to have gone through any of this, and I say no more about it than that – but things are at a close in relation to this part of proceedings.

“There’s now an opportunity for everyone to turn a corner in relation to matters.”