ACCEPTING a friend request from a man she didn’t know a 14-year-old girl was subjected to a barrage of obscene messages a magistrate has described as the “most revolting” things he had been forced to hear in a long time.

Amjad Amawi, 34, came before magistrates sitting in Swindon where he pleaded guilty to sending the offensive messaged to the girl 20 years his junior on March 25 of this year.

The court heard from Crown Prosecutor James Burnham on Friday that the Bibury Road resident had sent a friend request to the girl on Facebook, which she had accepted thinking she had actually declined it.

She then received a message from Amawi, and despite immediately telling him she was only 14-years-old he sent her a string of sexually explicit messages, which Mr Burnham read out in full to the court house.

Despite repeating that she was 14, he continued to send her messages, and she continued to reply telling him to leave her alone, which he ignored.

She then told her father who called the police.

Defending Amawi, Gordon Hotson told the court that his client had been diagnosed with learning difficulties as early as his sixth year at primary school, but he had never received any support for it.

“The family accepts they did nothing to get him any proper help at that time because there was a certain stigma attached to his particular difficulty which they found very difficult to deal with,” said Mr Hotson.

He explained that his client also had a small cannabis habit, but it was unclear whether he had taken any on the day he had begun messaging the 14-year-old girl.

“This was an exchange which took place over a short period of time,” said Mr Hotson.

“Quite why the young lady kept responding I do not know. She could have just blocked him. Clearly the exchange is two way and over a comparatively short period of time.”

Sentencing him, chairman of the bench Gray Gilbert said: “The description of the conversation that you had with this young lady was one of the most revolting things I have had the misfortune to listen to in many a long year.

"The fact that you pursued and contacted this lady knowing how old she was and her telling you how old she was and that it had been her mistake to accept your request in the first place you completely ignored that and subjected her to this barrage of disgusting talk. It is a very serious matter.

“You will go to prison for eight weeks. We will suspend that sentence for two years.

"What this means is that if you commit another offence in that two year period you will be brought back to court and this sentence will be activated and you will go straight to prison.”

He also imposed a two-year community order and ordered that Amawi must pay £85 in Crown Prosecution costs and an £80 victim surcharge.

A restraining order prevents Amawi from ever having contact with the victim again.

An NSPCC spokesman for South West England said: “This was a disturbing case in which a vulnerable girl was the victim of a series of appalling sexual messages, via social media.

“Amawi targeted his victim despite knowing her young age and regardless of the consequences his disgraceful actions had on her.

“This case highlights the dangers children are exposed to online. The online world offers many opportunities for children, but it also creates new risks, including the potential for unwanted communication with strangers. 

“The NSPCC would urge parents and carers to speak with children from a young age about online safety, equipping them with the skills to navigate the web, in an effort to build trust and openness to keep everyone safe.

“Any child in need of advice and support can call ChildLine for free at any time of day or night on 0800 1111. Meanwhile, adults with concerns over a youngster’s welfare can call our helpline on 0808 800 5000.

"For tips on keeping children safe online, visit www.net-aware.org.uk or www.internetmatters.org.”