In court:
Man sent texts to teenage girl

A YOUNG man who had sex with a 14-year-old girl continued sending her texts to persuade her to take part in sexual activity even after he was told her age.

Reece Checkley had denied two charges of sexual activity with a child and a jury at Warwick Crown Court found him not guilty after accepting he did not know she was only 14 when he had sex with her.

But the 21-year-old of Wentworth Road in Rugby was convicted of a further charge of inciting the girl to engage in sexual activity even after her mother had left him in no doubt she was under-age.

Checkley was remanded in custody until next month for a pre-sentence report to be prepared on him.

Prosecutor Jonathan Dunne had told the jury in 2012 the girl’s mother found a mobile phone on which there were inappropriate text messages between Checkley and her daughter.

So she went to see him and left him in no doubt her daughter was only 14, but later found another phone which made it evident the relationship had continued, and reported the matter to the police.

But he continued to send the girl texts inviting her to commit further sexual activity with him and on one occasion he was found in a state of undress at the home of one of the girl’s relatives with whom she was staying at the time.

Mr Dunne said when he was arrested Checkley, who had a long list of previous convictions but none of a sexual nature, at first ‘lied his head off’ and then gave various dates for when he said he found out her age.

And in his evidence during his trial he told the court he did not know the girl’s age when he had had sex with her, and claimed the texts were not intended to get her to perform further sex acts with him.

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