19-year-old made ‘full admissions’ to police.

A teenager has been jailed for filming himself having sex with a 12-year-old girl who he met on Facebook.

Tomas Speed, aged 19, exchanged explicit messages on a social networking site before inviting the girl to visit his home while his parents were out.

She agreed to take her clothes off and he filmed her on his mobile phone as she took part in sex acts with him which progressed to attempted intercourse.

Student Speed had been aware of the girl’s age from the outset and Exeter Crown Court was told there was an element of grooming in the way he seduced her.

Her mother called in the police after finding sexually explicit messages on her phone and both she and Speed then revealed what they had been doing. Detectives who seized his computer and phone recovered their exchange of messages on Facebook, 168 explicit pictures she had sent him, and footage of the two having sex.

Speed, of Kirby Close, Axminster, admitted three offences of statutory rape of a girl under 13, one of possessing an indecent photograph of her and three of taking indecent images of her.

The court heard all the activity was consensual but any sexual intercourse with a child under 13 is now charged as rape as children of that age are considered to be incapable of giving consent.

He was jailed for two years in a Young Offenders’ Institution by Judge Erik Salomonsen who told him: “You knew each other’s ages and you explored with her how far she was prepared to go. Your discussions of sex extended to the exploration of sex which was filmed. There was no force used and it was consensual activity.

“The pre-sentence report indicates you show remorse and acknowledge you should not have done what you did.

“It is your age against hers which goes against you. She was six years younger.

“It cannot be said your ages are closer together.

“The report reveals you were na�ve and immature.

“You are described as a loner who said you were a recluse who never had the confidence to chat up girls before.

“This is important in the context of sentence.”

Mr Richard Crabb, prosecuting, said Speed was still 18 last summer when the pair made contact through Facebook.

He said: “They talked on Facebook and the conversation very quickly turned to sex. Both clearly knew how old each were and they talked about having sex together.

“He asked her how far she was prepared to go and she asked if he would wear a condom. Clearly they had some sort of sexual encounter in mind.”

He said they met on at least three occasions in September 2011 when his parents were not at home. “He made full admissions to the police. Clearly a serious part of this case is that there was repetition and there was also an element of grooming.

“There is no doubt about that.”

Miss Sarah Hornblower, defending, stressed that all the activity had been consensual. She said: “This was activity between two young people which was mutually agreed and experimental. It was not a predatory relationship and there was no inducement or coercion. He poses no risk and is not a predator on young girls.”