A Bolton man made contact with a 13-year-old girl on Facebook, sent her gifts and told her he loved her.

Joshua Guilfoyle told the teen he was 16 and repeated this lie to her mother when she overheard a facetime conversation.

Bolton Crown Court heard Guilfoyle exchanged messages with the girl and asked her for naked pictures.

The 13-year-old sent a picture of her in her underwear and he replied by sending her a video of him performing a sexual activity on himself.

Guilfoyle then messaged the girl’s sister and obtained her address and went on to send her presents including clothing and a purse.

When the girl’s mother overheard a conversation she challenged Guilfoyle and asked his age, and he told her he was 16.

But the mother showed he had celebrated his 16th birthday in 2014 and he admitted he had lied.

But after this warning he went on to send sexual messages to the girl for a period of ten days in October 2019.

Police carried out a warrant and arrested him in January 2020.

When his phone was examined it was found to contain two inaccessible indecent images of children.

One of these was judged to be Category A, the most serious, and another to be Category B.

Rachel Faux, prosecuting, read a victim impact statement from the victim’s mother.

In it she said: “This incident has caused me great distress.

“I find it disgusting a 21 year old man would message my daughter.

“‘He said ‘she makes me happy when I am down.’”

She also explained the delay in bringing the case to court was due to the time taken to analyse Guilfoyle’s mobile telephone and arranging an interview with the sister of the victim which was made difficult due to Covid.

Guilfoyle, from Chorley Old Road, Bolton, appeared in court to be sentenced after admitting sexual communication with a child and two counts of downloading indecent images of children.

Nick Ross, defending, said he had lost his job as a result of the offence but had found alternative employment and had suffered poor mental health from his actions and the pandemic.

He added that he had been to see his GP about this and had been referred to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and urged the judge to “step back from immediate custody.”

Judge Tom Gilbart said: “This was appalling conduct by you.

“It was done after it had been explained to you she was 13 years old.”

But he added:  “You were interviewed in January 2020 and the case was not brought before the court until June 2022.

“I am satisfied there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”

He suspended a sentence of 14 months for two years, ordered him to complete 200 hours of unpaid work, attend at 25 days of rehabilitation and up to 35 days of an accredited sex offender treatment programme.

He also made the 24-year-old subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and the Sex Offenders’ Register for a period of ten years.