A 26-year-old Suffolk man who had a sexual online chat with a decoy 12-year-old schoolgirl has been ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register.

Before Ipswich Crown Court on Friday for a plea and trial preparation hearing was Quinn-Rhyss Melton of Woollards Gardens, Long Melford.

He pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification between November 3 and December 6 last year and attempting to cause or incite a child he believed to be 12 years old to touch herself intimately between the same dates.

Judge Samantha Leigh adjourned sentence until next month for a pre-sentence report and ordered Melton to sign the sex offenders’ register on an interim basis.

She warned Melton, who is on conditional bail, that all sentencing options would be open to the court at the next hearing.