A MAN who had under-age sex with one girl and molested another has been sentenced to two years youth custody.

Stephen Beal had a relationship with one of the girls, who had consensual sex with him and became pregnant by him. He then turned his attentions to another girl and engaged in sex acts with her, a court heard.

Beal, of Seaside Avenue, Minster, near Sheerness, admitted he had ruined the first girl’s life and his words were echoed by a judge at Maidstone Crown Court.

Judge Andrew Patience, QC, added that the 20-year-old had badly let down his parents, who were “leading members of the community”.

The court was told that Beal started going out with the first girl when she was 13 and he was 17 or 18.

Paul Cavin, prosecuting, said Beal would go to the girl’s house almost daily. She made her age clear to him.

He eventually told her that he would prove how much he loved her by taking their relationship to a higher physical level. They first had intercourse when they were babysitting.

The relationship came to an end on the girl’s 14th birthday in 2004 when Beal joined the RAF. Matters came to light the same month after the girl discovered she was pregnant.

When arrested, Beal admitted knowing how old the girl was. Asked how many times they had intercourse, he replied that it was too many to remember.

Mr Cavin said Beal was 18 and working as an industrial cleaner at Tesco when he met the second girl. He went to her home in Queenborough. She told him she was 13. Sex acts were performed by both of them.

In court, Beal admitted sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 and two charges of sexual activity with a child under 16.

Judge Patience told Beal there was no alternative to a custody “to send out a message to other young people to think before they act in the way that you did”.