A Burnley man sent disgusting sexual messages to who he thought was a 12-year-old girl over Facebook Messenger.

Abdul Khan, 26, was actually talking to a decoy account set up by a self-styled paedophile hunter group.

They collected the messages Khan sent to who he believed was a girl named Katie Davies, who told Khan she was 12 years old and from Wolverhampton.

Kristian Cavanagh, prosecuting at Preston Crown Court, said there were more than 270 pages of messages, which included the defendant requesting pictures of the girl’s genitals and the defendant sending pictures of his.

He also sent videos and voice notes of him performing sexual acts.

Khan also arranged to meet a 17-year-old girl at a hotel when he was apprehended by the hunter group and placed under citizen's arrest while they waited for the police to arrive.

It was first put forward Khan had gone to the hotel to meet a 12-year-old, however, after communication between counsel it was determined this was incorrect.

Jonathan Lally, mitigating, said Khan finds it “difficult to communicate with adults” due to low cognitive abilities, and the messages were communicated in a “very child-like way.”

Khan, of Lee Street, pleaded guilty to one count each of attempted sexual communication with a child and arranging the commission of a child sex offence.

Judge Michael Maher, sentencing, said: “On any view the messages you sent were disgusting.

"You were speaking in a highly-sexualised way, sending pictures of your penis and videos of you.

“I have the benefit of a psychiatric report. It’s clear you have a very low IQ but you knew full well what you were doing when you were speaking to this 12-year-old decoy was wrong.

"On arrest, the first thing out of your mouth was ‘I’m going to prison’.”

Judge Maher imposed a two-year prison sentence on Khan but suspended it for 18 months, saying: “If you don’t comply with probation then I will give you the two years imprisonment that you richly deserve for this.”

Judge Maher also ordered Khan to complete 40 rehabilitation activity days and imposed sex offender notification requirements and a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years each.