A former Stowmarket man who sent sexually explicit messages to a police officer posing as a 12-year-old girl has been given a community order.

Police arrested Matthew Holloway after he communicated on Kik Messenger with an officer from an online child sexual exploitation team, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Holloway, who claimed he was 23 and lived in London, had a number of sexually explicit discussions with the officer who was posing as the schoolgirl.

He also had a conversation about the possibility of meeting and having sex as well as sending indecent pictures of himself and requesting pictures from her, said Peter Gair, prosecuting.

Holloway, 35, now of Caelum Drive, Colchester, admitted attempting to sexually communicate with a child between January and March 2018.

He was given an 18 month community order, a 45 day rehabilitation requirement and ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work.

He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for five years.

Sentencing him Judge David Pugh said: "You engaged in sexual communication with someone you thought was a 12-year-old girl, who was in fact an adult."

Neil Saunders, for Holloway, said he had no previous convictions and was addressing his offending behaviour.