A pervert has been locked up after engaging in online conversation with a person he believed to be a 12-year-old girl.

Steven Tonks admitted attempting to groom a child online when he appeared at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday.

He was arrested in Goudhurst Road, Gillingham, after it was revealed he'd made sexual remarks and sent explicit images of himself during the interaction in November 2018.

Tonks, 50, of Windmill Road, Gillingham, was sentenced to a year in jail for attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Chris Horan said: "Tonks engaged in sexually explicit conversations with a person he believed to be a young child and I do believe he would have continued to do so, and would very likely to have progressed his offending if he had not been arrested.

"I would encourage anyone with similar concerns to contact the police as we will always take reports seriously and investigate accordingly."

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