A FORKLIFT truck driver has been jailed for two years for trying to meet and have sex with a 14-year-old girl.

Kacper Belzek, of Burwell Drive, Witney, was found guilty after a trial on one count of arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence between September 21 and October 2 last year.

The 24-year-old was accused of planning to meet the teenage complainant after they exchanged about 800 messages over the internet.

The jury unanimously found him guilty and on Tuesday Judge Patrick Eccles told him prison was the only appropriate sentence.

During a four-day trial Belzek argued he had been angry at the girl for lying about her age and claiming she was 16 when they had met a first time.

It was after that she revealed she was actually 14, the court heard.

Judge Eccles said the offence was made worse by the fact Belzek actually did meet and have sex with the girl before he knew her age, but then tried to arrange another meeting.

Belzek was not prosecuted for having sex with a minor.

Nigel Daley, defending, said his client was guilty of “stupid” behaviour that would never be repeated.

He said: “It appears that at the end he changed his mind and was not going to meet her.

“The disparity of age was not that much when you see the behaviour of the young girl towards him beforehand.

“He has never done anything like it before and your honour can be quite confident he will never do anything like it again.”

Judge Eccles passed a two-year prison sentence and said Belzek would spend 10 years on the sex offenders’ register.

He told the defendant: “During the trial you did not display any understanding of how wrong it is for a grown man like you to try and encourage a young girl to have sexual intercourse with you.”

Belzek will also have to pay a £120 victims’ surcharge.

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