A paedophile has been jailed for preying on a teenage girl by sending "abhorrent" sexually explicit messages.

Jonathan Baigent, of Fore Hamlet, Ipswich, had been sending messages via Instagram to a 13-year-old girl from Leicestershire.

During their conversations, he pretended to be a 38-year-old man from Portsmouth.

The victim's mother reported the messages to police in 2020 and enquiries led officers to Baigent, where he was ultimately arrested and charged.

The 45-year-old was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday to 32 months imprisonment for sexual communication with a child and two breaches of Sexual Harm Prevention Orders.

Det Supt David Giles, of Suffolk police, said: “A clear and blatant disregard was demonstrated by Baigent with regards to his Sexual Harm Prevention Order as well as the abhorrent behaviour preying on a teenage girl.

"This outcome can reassure the public that we take such allegations of online predatory behaviour on the young and vulnerable extremely seriously and work to safeguard victims as quickly as possible.

"I hope the public are reassured of the police stance when it comes to the breach of SHPOs and we will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice.”

“I want to pay tribute to my Public Protection Officer who worked tirelessly with the investigation over the past two years in pursuing Baigent. The work demonstrated a really disciplined approach to the legal paperwork and all aspects of the investigation."