A SEX offender flouted a ban on using the internet to contact underage girls, a court heard.

It was among restrictions imposed on Kieran Clough as part of a sexual offences prevention order (Sopo) imposed at Newcastle Crown Court in September 2013, after he was convicted for the sexual grooming of a 15-year-old girl.

Clough made contact with her via the internet, exchanged indecent messages and met her.

It was on his way to the second rendez-vous, when he intended having sex with her, that he was stopped after the girl’s mother intercepted a message to her daughter and tipped off police.

Durham Crown Court heard that despite being subject to the Sopo and a three-year community supervision order, Clough, posing as ‘Bella Swinton’, contacted a 14-year-old girl via social media in August.

He claimed to know her and asked her to send a photo of her bedroom, “to ensure she was on her own”.

Katherine Dunn, prosecuting, said, having exchanged messages for two weeks, Clough eventually revealed ‘Bella’ was really a boy and told the girl to delete their conversations.

Miss Dunn said the girl asked if he was “that paedo arrested last year” and Clough agreed, saying it had been “a mistake”.

But the girl told her mother and police were informed.

Clough was arrested and refused to give police either the password to his phone or computer, while he also refused to answer questions.

Miss Dunn added: “This was deliberate contact, targeting a young girl, aware of her age and identity, directly flouting the terms of the previous order.”

Clough, 24, of Wynyard, Chester-le-Street, who has remained in custody since his arrest on August 11, admitted breaching the Sopo.

Tony Davis, mitigating, said: “Clearly the behaviour in the original case was more serious than this.

“But, it has brought about what everyone was trying to avoid, namely the incarceration of this young man for more than two months now.”

Mr Davis said Clough has a hearing impediment which requires him to lip read, and this may have partly caused his social immaturity.

“Contacting girls younger than him, under the age of 16, was something of a preoccupation, but that was because of his inability to form relationships with girls his own age.”

Recorder Jeremy Hill-Baker said as Clough has spent more than two months in custody he could impose a three-year community supervision order during which he will undergo intensive sex offender treatment work.

He was also made subject of a new Sopo, and must register as a sex offender, both for five years.