A pervert who tried to get two 13-year-old girls to engage in sexual acts has been jailed for 28 months.

On May 6, Jason Brian, 41, sent what he thought was a 13-year-old girl a pornographic image. He had in fact sent the image to an undercover police officer.

Still thinking he was communicating with the child, Brian moved the conversation to Snapchat and told the girl he was going to perform a sex act.

The Online Child Abuse Investigation Team found Brian, then living at Rutland Street in Blackburn, was the man responsible for sending the messages and was arrested, answered no comment in interview and was released while investigations continued.

On July 22, Brian again sent a message asking who he thought was a 13-year-old girl if she wanted to have phone sex but was once again messaging an undercover agent.

He then requested the child to move the conversation onto a different social media platform.

When that was declined, Brian rang what he thought was the 13-year-old girl’s number three times in an attempt to have phone sex with her.

He then messaged the girl encouraging her to perform a sex act.

Brian was arrested and his phone was seized. When that was examined, officers found 391 indecent images of children, of which 51 were the most serious examples of child abuse.

Brian was interviewed and admitted he had received indecent images of children from a social media site and he had downloaded them onto his phone.

He admitted he viewed the images for sexual gratification and he had searched the internet for indecent images of children for sexual purpose.

He was charged with attempting to cause a child to watch/look at an image of sexual activity; attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child; attempting to cause a female aged 13 or over to engage in sexual activity; and making and possessing indecent images of children.

He was jailed for 28 months at Preston Crown Court last week. He was also given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, limiting his access to the internet, and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

DC Jane Gregson, from Lancashire Police, said: “Brian is an individual who poses a risk to children via his inappropriate use of the internet.

“I welcome the sentence handed down by the court. I am also pleased with the orders issued which limit Brian’s access to the internet and monitor his activities once he is released.”