A 38-year-old man who sexually abused a child and got her to send him naked pictures of herself has been warned he is facing jail.

Philip Derham repeatedly messaged the 15-year-old family friend and exchanged suggestive text messages with her.

And he then took her to Lydiard Park and out for drives in his car where they performed sex acts on each other.

Now a judge at Swindon Crown Court has told him the fact the victim consented to what happened may not spare him jail, as she was a child.

The jury of seven women and five men heard that the girl was questioning her sexuality when she started to message the defendant.

Derham, who has a wife and children, sent messages including one reading "It would be nice to be with you if you were older".

He then started to send more graphic messages and got her to send him pictures of her naked private parts.

She said that he then drove her to Lydiard Park where he took her into a hedgerow next to a field containing horses.

After performing a number of sex acts on the schoolgirl he took her home, only to take her out again days later.

On that occasion he stopped in a lay-by on the road to Marlborough where they performed sex acts on each other.

Derham, of Buckingham Road, pleaded not guilty to five counts of sexual activity with a child during a six week period in autumn last year.

He claimed that what she was alleging was all fantasy and that he had never had any sexual contact with her, but a jury rejected his version and found him guilty.

At an earlier hearing he admitted two counts of causing or inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

They related to him getting her to send him pictures of herself in states of undress between the start of September and mid October 2016.

Judge Robert Pawson said: “You have been convicted of all five counts. They are serious matters for obvious reasons.

“The fact your victim, and she was your victim, was consenting is neither here nor there. She was a child and you have a responsibility to her as a child.

“The sentence in this case is almost inevitably going to be one of custody. Before I make a final decision as to what sentence will be I will order a pre-sentence report.

“The fact that I am directing there be a pre-sentence report should not be taken as any indication that you won’t receive a custodial sentence in due course.”