A former social worker plotted to have sex with an eight-year-old girl with the consent of her mother and her lesbian partner, a court heard.

But Nicholas Allen was duped in a police sting and promptly arrested after travelling 260 miles from Rochdale to Leybourne, near Maidstone.

The 54-year-old pervert had acted cautiously when in contact with the women, joking at one point “No-one wants to end up next to Stuart Hall lol”, in a reference to the former BBC broadcaster jailed for child sex offences.

Allen, of no fixed address, was sentenced to four years imprisonment after admitting arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

Maidstone Crown Court heard two police officers posed on a website as the mother and stepmother of a girl and were contacted by Allen in April.

Prosecutor Serena Gates said the father-of-two was initially cautious about his intentions but then became more confident.

He said in emails he could get into serious trouble before going on to reveal his interest in various sexual activities including spanking.

The women made it clear to him they were not offering to have sex with him, but that they would be happy for him to have full sex with “Chloe”.

Allen, a social worker for 30 years before being sacked for sending an inappropriate text to a teenage girl, called it his “gamble” when he provided his mobile number.

“He commented that the three of them could get into a lot of trouble,” said Miss Gates. “He expressed concern about how the girl would react.

“It was made clear he intended to have penetrative sex with her.”

Allen was arrested after arriving in Leybourne on May 14. A pair of leggings he had bought as a gift for the girl was found in his van.

When interviewed he claimed he had only been gathering evidence to give to the police, but admitted to having a “pant fetish”.

Miss Gates said Allen had a caution for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in 2008.

Kieron Moroney, defending, said of the latest crime: “He is clearly a sexual deviant and capable of committing offences of that nature.

“If the officers had not acted in the way they did it would not have come out in the opening. They encouraged or brought out his true level of deviancy.

“He can’t put any excuses forward. He is angry with himself. He was doing rather well in life. He seems to have had a breakdown.”

“It is clear the abuse you contemplated extended to sexual intercourse. It is clear you had in mind a long-term arrangement" - Judge David Griffith-Jones

Judge David Griffith-Jones QC told Allen: “It is clear the abuse you contemplated extended to sexual intercourse. It is clear you had in mind a long-term arrangement.

“Your claim you were involved in some sort of research or crusade to reveal the perpetrators was clearly untrue. It was well planned and carefully considered behaviour.”

The judge added he did not feel it necessary to treat him as a dangerous offender.

Allen’s name will appear on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and he will be banned from working with children or vulnerable adults.

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