A MAN has been spared jail after sending sexual messages to what he believed was a young girl on social media.

Alan Jones, of Eleanor Street in Caernarfon, appeared at Mold Crown Court on Thursday.

The 52-year-old had previously admitted that in Autumn last year in the Wrexham area, he attempted to cause a female child to engage in sexual activity and attempted to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Myles Wilson, prosecuting, told the court Jones had sent dozens of messages on a social media app to a user he believed to be a 13 year old girl.

In reality, he was talking to an undercover police officer.

Over the course of around three weeks he sent numerous messages to the 'girl' turning the conversation sexual despite being clearly told he was talking to a child.

He made numerous suggestions that the 'child' perform sexual activities and asked photos.

Jones sent the officer a photo of himself driving a truck, which police used to identify him as he was wearing a lanyard with his employer's name on it, the court heard.

He was arrested at work in November last year and his phone was seized, but it couldn't be examined because of a fault.

However officers could tell he'd used it to visit websites suggestive of having indecent material involving teenagers.

Henry Hills, defending, told the court his client was a man of previous good character who admitted the offences at the earliest opportunity.

"Mr Jones has demonstrates insight and a moral understanding of his wrongdoing," he said.

"he has had a range of personal problem which may have contributed to his deviant behaviour.

"He is highly motivated to engage in rehabilitative interventions."

Judge Rhys Rowlands said: "You believed you were messaging a 13-year-old girl and thought nothing of trying to corrupt her in this way. "There was a significant disparity in age - you were old enough to be her grandfather."

The Judge handed down a custodial sentence of 16 months, but suspended it for two years.

"He ordered Jones to undertake 40 days of rehabilitation activity and fined him £1,000.

Jones was also ordered to pay £530 costs and a victim surcharge of £156.

He must also be on the sex offenders' register for 10 years and has been made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same duration.