A paedophile from Romford who engaged in repeated sexual encounters with a 14-year-old girl after grooming the teenager on social networking sites has been jailed.

Wayne Gammon’s relationship with the youngster was brought to an end by an observant member of the public, Gareth Oram, who saw the girl trying to get away from him in a street, Gloucester Crown Court heard.

Mr Oram called police when the girl told him Gammon, 45, of Wolesley Road, had been following and stalking her.

The girl was upset and shaking.

After police arrived she told how Gammon had befriended her on social media and then started travelling to Cheltenham in Gloucestershire to see her.

His offences had led to her self-harming and feeling suicidal, the court was told.

Gammon groomed her for sex and she had intercourse with him at least twice, as well as performing other sex acts with him over a period of several months. During some of the visits he had given her alcohol and cannabis.

Gammon admitted meeting the girl with a view to having sex with her between January 15 and February 4.

He also pleaded guilty to causing or inciting her to commit a sexual act with him and three charges of having sexual activity with a child.

He was jailed for four years by Judge William Hart, who told him: “You groomed her, you exploited her naivete, you exploited her immature sexual curiousity and you exploited her vulnerability.

“Your behaviour towards her was predatory. It shows you have a darker side to your nature concealed from those who know you only in the light of the day.

“An aggravated factor is that you had unprotected intercourse with her and you gave her alcohol and cannabis by way of a bribe or reward.

“This was determined activity – you were crossing the country to indulge yourself with this young girl.”

Prosecutor Richard Posner said after Gammon’s arrest police found he had been making contact with underage girls in Canada, Spain and France, as well as the UK. Most of those children had told him to leave them alone.

Defence solicitor Andrew Hobson said the offences happened because Gammon was lonely after two marriage break-ups.