A 20-YEAR-OLD man with learning difficulties sent sexually explicit phone messages to what he thought was an 11-year-old girl but was actually her mother.

Matthew Meyer, of Orchard Way, Wantage, was jailed for 12 months on Thursday at Oxford Crown Court after he admitted attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Giles Curtis-Raleigh, prosecuting, said the exchange took place between January 20 and March 10 this year using a smartphone app Kik Messenger.

He said the girl received a message asking if she was in the nude, which she showed to her mother who replied by pretending to be her daughter.

Mr Curtis-Raleigh said Meyer then started sending messages encouraging the girl to carry out a sexual act, as well as sending her pictures of his private parts.

The barrister said the girl’s mum was left feeling “stressed and sickened” and called the police.

John Waller, defending, said Meyer had an IQ of 74, had never had an adult relationship and suffered from autism and attention deficit disorder.

He said: “He doesn’t understand how relationships are formed, he has never engaged in sex himself and there is a naivety there about how relationships work.”

But Judge Patrick Eccles said despite his problems the defendant must bear some “moral culpability” for his actions.

He said: “The court has to serve victims and their parents who, frankly, would not feel their children were protected if there were not to be a sentence of imprisonment in this case.”

Meyer jailed for 12 months and told to pay a £100 victims’ surcharge.