A CONVICTED paedophile who exchanged 2,000 messages with young girls in breach of a court order was spared jail.

Michael Harley, 25, was given a three-year community order last year after admitting sexual activity with a girl under 16, a court heard.

A judge imposed a sexual offences prevention order, which stopped him contacting children under 16 as part of his sentence, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

But Harley, of Cefn Fforest Avenue, Blackwood, then acted in a “wicked” way by repeatedly texting girls and telling one he was just 17, the court heard.

One of the texts was “overtly sexual” in nature, the court was told.

Judge David Wynn Morgan gave him a 12-month jail term, suspended for two years, after hearing there was no face-to-face contact with the girls and he had the mental age of a 13-year-old.

Judge Wynn Morgan told him: “The suggestion has been made that they responded to your texts and the answer to that is ‘Of course they would’ because you lied to them.

“You didn’t tell them you were 25. You told one you were 17 and the other you were 18.

“That was a wicked thing to do and they believed you. I believe you knew you were breaking this order that I made.”

Judge Wynn Morgan gave him the three-year community order on May 25, 2012.

He had pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual activity with a girl under 16 and a further count of causing or inciting a girl under 16 to engage in sexual activity, court records show.

Harley began sending the texts later that year but was arrested on February 28, 2013, and then spent two weeks in custody, the court heard.

He later pleaded guilty to four counts of breaching a sexual offences prevention order in relation to one girl and another four counts in relation to the other girl.

Defence barrister Jeffrey Jones told the court his client had learning and emotional difficulties and had the IQ of someone aged around 13.

He said the breaches stemmed from his “immaturity” and “shyness” and stressed there had been no face-to-face contact.

Judge Wynn Morgan allowed the three-year community order to continue and ordered Harvey to pay a £100 surcharge.