A 25-year-old beauty pageant judge who groomed and sexually assaulted a young girl has been spared jail.

Ipswich Crown Court heard Charlotte Holl had exchanged 1200 messages with the girl whom she contacted through texts and a social media network.

Holl, of Elizabeth Avenue, Newmarket, was given an 18-month sentence suspended for two years when she appeared at her sentencing hearing.

She had previously admitted four sexual assaults on a girl and being an adult who met a girl following grooming.

The court heard the offences included Holl touching the child’s inner leg over her clothing, kissing, and on one occasion putting her arm around the girl’s waist.

Prosecutor Robert Sadd said Holl had no previous convictions.

Duncan O’Donnell, representing Holl, said his client had presented herself as vulnerable and immature. He added that she was ashamed of her actions.

Mr O’Donnell told the court: “Throughout these proceedings she has indicated she has been horrified by what she did. She acknowledged in (police) interview what she did.

“These are offences that are never going to happen again.

“She has pleaded guilty and indicated her full horror over what she has done and in my submission while the custody threshold has been passed in the circumstances of this offending behaviour it is a custodial sentence that falls within the bracket that could be suspended.”

Sentencing Holl Judge Overbury acknowledged she was a vulnerable individual according to a pre-sentence report.

However, he also said: “It’s plain to me, as it was to the probation service, you certainly did have the intention of going further than kissing.”

Judge Overbury described Holl as carrying out the assaults for her own sexual satisfaction.

The court heard messages between Holl and the girl included Holl suggesting she was thinking of living with the girl and possibly taking her to Florida.

It was said Holl had clearly used grooming behaviour towards the child including cigarettes and alcohol.

Conversely the judge also acknowledged that probation officers do not see Holl as a danger to children and categorised her as a medium risk.

As well as her suspended sentence Holl was ordered to carry out 300 hours’ unpaid work within 12 months. She was also given a two-year supervision requirement.

In addition Judge Overbury made Holl the subject of Sexual Offences Prevention Order until further order “in order to protect young members of our society from you committing further offences”.

The restrictions include no unsupervised contact with a child aged under 16 and prohibiting Holl from attending any pageant nationally where females under 16 are performing.

Holl was also made subject to the notification requirements of the Sexual Offence Act for five years.