A MAN who asked a 13-year-girl if he could video her in the shower was arrested after she turned out to be a police officer posing undercover.

Calling himself 'Bolton Lad' online, Ryan Griffiths, 24, even tried to persuade 'Lucy' to ask her mum to drop her off in the town centre so they could meet in person.

At Bolton Crown Court, Kathryn Johnson, prosecuting, said Griffiths began communicating with the officer on a website called Chat-Avenue on January 7 last year.

The officer had adopted the username '13 in UK' and made clear how old she was but Griffiths quickly asked her "You into sex? Yay or nay?"

Their chat became more and more explicit with Griffiths telling her he wanted to make a pornographic movie, take off her underwear and touch her bottom.

The officer told Griffiths she had never done anything sexual before with him answering: "I could teach you".

In other online conversations Griffiths, of Cooke Street, Farnworth, said he wanted to take the teenager into the men's toilets and strip her naked.

On another occasion he said they could wear each other's underwear and he could watch her change out of her school uniform.

He also requested he video her in the shower and asked what size her breasts were.

Griffiths began referring to 'Lucy' as his "beautiful girlfriend" and asked if they could exchange mobile numbers.

When the officer gave him a number he rang it and told her he was performing a sexual act on himself while they were talking.

Officers swooped to arrest Griffiths after he arranged to meet the girl in Blackburn and he was taken into custody on his arrival.

Daniel Morton, defending, said Griffiths had a "low IQ" and was "very suggestible".

He described how Griffiths had been "isolated" throughout school, struggled with other pupils and had a "lack of experience of any intimacy".

Mr Morton added: "This experience, whilst of course unwelcome has enabled Ryan to truly learn and move on. He no longer uses the internet in any regard and it's been almost two years now."

Sentencing Griffiths, who pleaded guilty to two counts of attempting to incite a girl between 13-15 into penetrative sex, one count of grooming a girl under 16 and one count of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, Judge Timothy Stead, said he had taken into account Griffith's learning difficulties and his guilty plea given at an earlier hearing.

He said: "This is the only time you have come before the court and I hope that remains the case.

"The sort of things you were saying you must not say to someone you think is a teenager.

"It is a very bad thing to do and you shouldn't push them into things that aren't good for them.

"If this had been a real girl you would be looking at a lot of months in prison."

Judge Stead imposed a three-year community order, with 30 days of rehabilitation activities.

Griffiths will also be under an electronic curfew at his home for 90 days between 7pm and 7am, will be the subject of an eight year sexual harm prevention order limiting his contact with children and internet use and will have to sign the sex offenders' register for the same period.