A VILLAGE bobby who groped a schoolgirl after meeting her through a teenage internet chatroom has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.

James Hunter was a constable with North Yorkshire Police when he targeted the 14-year-old girl, from Darlington, last year.

The married father-of-two exchanged mobile telephone numbers then a series of text messages and emails after the pair initially made contact.

Hunter arranged to meet the schoolgirl in Darlington town centre and drove her to secluded layby where he molested her and asked her to touch him.

The 49-year-old's secret life was revealed when the schoolgirl told a teacher months later and her mobile phone and computer were examined.

Technical experts were able to identify Hunter as the user of the phone and raided his home in Hartlepool, in August, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Detectives also found pornographic images of children - some of them movie clips - on Hunter's computer hard drive and stored on discs.

Hunter, who had been a beat bobby in Stokesley and had been with the force for 15 years, first claimed he thought the girl was older, but admitted he had "cybersex" with as many as ten women.

He said he arranged to meet the girl near the Civic Theatre after a stress-management course at Scotch Corner, but only wanted to get to know her to see if a relationship could develop.

Hunter told police: "I did not intend to have sex with her. I was nervous taking the quantum leap from cybersex to an affair and could not stop thinking about my marriage."

He had to confess, however, that he knew how old the girl was when investigators showed him her profile from the chatroom which said: "Age: 14. Occupation: school".

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, said Hunter also admitted in a later interview that he had set up a webcam and performed a sex act upon himself on three occasions while the girl watched.

Paul Currer, mitigating, said the disgraced policeman lost his job, his wife had left him after 26 years' marriage and he no longer has contact with his two children.

"James Hunter stands before this court a broken man," said Mr Currer. "He regards his offending as appalling and fully accepts responsibility for the terrible consequences of his actions.

"It is a matter of deep regret that he has had what will inevitably be a devastating effect on the young life of this girl and her family."

Hunter, of Colenso Street, admitted causing a child to watch a sexual act, sexual activity with a child and 16 counts of making indecent images of children.

Judge George Moorhouse also banned Hunter from working with children for life and ordered his name to be put on the sex offenders' register for life.

He told Hunter: "You are a evil, deviant man, who was anxious to take advantage of this young girl.

"The warning has to be seen loud and clear that communication with children and arranging meetings to perform sexual activity while under age is a very serious matter that will be met by a prison sentence.

"With you being a serving police officer, it is a very serious matter for you, in your privileged position, to behave the way you did. You not only let yourself down, but the girl's family and your fellow officers as well."

After the case, Detective Sergeant Sean Jackson, of Darlington CID, warned parents to be vigilant against cyber paedophiles.