A self-confessed paedophile messaged a girl on TikTok then "stole two years of her life". Jack Spencer used the social media platform to offer the teenager £500 for sex.

But his devious plan was stopped in its tracks only the following day when her mum performed a routine check of her daughter's account, being left "furious" at what she found. This led to police discovering that the pervert had been sending similar messages to scores of other children, having also downloaded a vile collection of indecent images.

Liverpool Crown Court heard this week that Spencer contacted the girl via TikTok in January last year under the username "Jack47". The 31-year-old, of Alexandra Road in Southport, then "enquired whether she was single" and asked how old she was before telling her: "Great set of tits by the way."

David Watson, prosecuting, described how the teen thereafter informed the stranger that she was aged only 15. In response, the defendant said: "Oh s***, sorry. I wouldn't have said that if I knew your age, you look way older."

However, Spencer went on to make further comments regarding the size of her breasts before asking whether she was a virgin and offering her "£500 to take it" or a "couple of hundred" in order for her to perform other sexual acts. The following day, the girl's mum checked her daughter's tablet computer "as she periodically did for safety reasons".

Mr Watson detailed how she was then left "understandably furious" when she discovered the messages in question. She subsequently attempted to contact Spencer using the teenager's account, although he blocked her profile at this stage.

This led to police attending his flat on July 1 2024, at which stage officers discovered a collection of indecent images of children on his phone. This included 198 images in category A, those showing the most serious forms of abuse, in which the subjects were aged as young as four.

Spencer was also found to have downloaded 119 images in category B, in which the children shown were as young as two, a further 196 images in category C and seven extreme pornographic images "portraying bestiality". PCs meanwhile noted "evidence of further sexualised conversation on TikTok between the defendant and apparent children", although he faced no criminal charges in relation to these messages.

In a statement which was read to the court on her behalf, Spencer's victim said that she had suffered from panic attacks and "worsening anxiety" as a result of his crimes. She added: "It makes me feel sick that I could have been sexually assaulted or worse killed, something I think about every day.

"I feel very lucky my mum saw the messages before it escalated. I've been reclusive and won't leave the house to socialise with friends. I feel this person stole nearly two years of my life due to this crime [the period of time it had taken to come to court]."

While he has no previous convictions, Spencer was formerly handed a sexual risk order by a court in 2015 after a 15-year-old child alleged that he had contacted her on Instagram and "requested indecent images from her in exchange for an iPad". This led to the discovery of a further chat with a 14-year-old child "in another jurisdiction".

These messages apparently involved discussions concerning him flying out of the country in order to engage in sexual activity with the teen. However, he similarly faced no charges on this occasion due to "insufficient evidence that the defendant had sole access to the Instagram account".

Paul Becker, defending, told the court: "Your honour has indicated that there is going to be an immediate sentence of imprisonment. He erroneously thought that he would not be going to prison today. Sadly, that is not the case. These are serious offences. He is going to be going to prison today for the first time.

"The defendant has not tried to minimise in respect of his involvement in these offences. He indicates that his mental health was not great at the time. He sadly lost his father in 2018. He lives alone. Loneliness and isolation are factors which are relevant here. He has not been in a relationship for some 10 years.

"It is a rarity when a defendant indicates that he is attracted to children. Most of the time, defendants continually minimise that. It is to the defendant's credit that he accepts that he has this problem. He is willing to explore his behaviour and he is motivated to address this problem that he has.

"The indecent images are just further examples of the addiction which the defendant has. He has clearly been involved in TikTok, Snapchat and social media in not a healthy way.

"The defendant qualified with GCSEs from school. He worked, in the past, for a finance company. He is sadly disabled and receives benefits. He was adopted when he was three months old. The defendant has spina bifida and hydrocephalus. It will not be straightforward for this defendant to be incarcerated with the health problems that he has."

Spencer admitted sexual communications with a child, attempting to arrange a child sex offence, three counts of making indecent images of children and possession of extreme pornographic images. Appearing in the dock in a wheelchair, he was jailed for three years and four months on Monday.

Sentencing, Judge Ian Harris said: "She says that she has panic attacks and worsening anxiety, and that her life and personality have been affected. She has trust issues, especially with males, and feels vulnerable around adult males.

"She has become reclusive. She says that nearly two years of her life have been stolen from her by your criminal approach to her. She thinks about what could have happened, but she is not the only victim. Those young children in those repellent paedophile images were being sexually abused.

"If it wasn't for people such as you, children would not be manipulated and abused for your and other paedophilic individuals' consumption. Your downloading of material like this simply encourages the market and perpetuates it.

"You clearly failed to head the warnings that were implicit in that [sexual risk] order in committing the offences I have to sentence you for. I take into account your personal circumstances, in that you have significant mobility issues.

"I note that your counsel said that loneliness and isolation were reasons for your offences. A lot of people are lonely and isolated, and they do not resort to this."

Spencer was also handed a lifelong sexual harm prevention order and banned from contacting the victim indefinitely under a restraining order. He will be required to sign the sex offenders' register for life.

After Spencer had been taken down to the cells, Judge Harris turned to the mum and daughter in the public gallery and added: "You have had the courage to come here today. No sentence I can impose can in any way make things easier for either of you, in particular [victim's name], but at least there will be some closure. You have the court's hopes for a better future than you have had while these proceedings have been ongoing."