A cabbie who targeted an underage girl on social media and sent her gifts of money and alcohol has been given a suspended prison sentence.
Matthew Knowles, 45, from Foxwood, was convicted at York Crown Court in August of two counts of meeting a girl for sexual purposes.
He also pleaded guilty to possessing a single sexual image of a child of the lowest category.
The court heard that Knowles had befriended the girl on Instagram and sent her messages.
He told her where to find amounts of £20 and £100 and on one occasion told her he liked the shorts she was wearing.
On another occasion, he told her where to find vodka and beer that he said she and her friends could drink in the park.
Twice he arranged for them to meet, once when he sold her a mobile phone for considerably less than its true value, and once when she was with a friend and he gave her £100 and some Lottery scratch cards.
He also posted her picture on the social media website Kik and described having sex with her to other users.
He started sending messages to the girl's friend asking her why the girl was not responding to his messages.
The friend's parents saw the messages on her phone and police were called.
Shannon Woodley, prosecuting, said that though none of the messages to the girl were sexual, Knowles was intending at some stage for the connection between them to become sexual.
Knowles was given an 18-month prison sentence suspended for two years, on condition he does a 90-session sex offender treatment programme, 30 days’ rehabilitative activities and 150 hours’ unpaid work.
He was also placed on the sex offenders' register for 10 years and made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and a restraining order, both lasting for 10 years.
He told York Crown Court during his trial he is no longer a taxi driver and now has his own removals company.
The judge said Knowles had been having mental health difficulties at the time of the offending.
* Current York private hire taxi driver Matthew Knowles, 44, is not to be confused with the defendant in this story and has no connection to this case whatsoever.
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