James Lowrey, described as being addicted to internet porn, was placed on the Sex Offenders Register indefinitely and banned from working with children for life.

He was also barred from having unsupervised access to the internet.

Lowrey contacted the teenager through a chatroom and after two months of exchanging sexually explicit messages the pair arranged to meet in Grantham.

Stuart Alford, prosecuting, told Lincoln Crown Court that Lowrey travelled from his home in Newark to see the girl after school.

But the girl, who had told Lowrey she was 16 before going on to confess to her true age, took fright and fled when she saw the overweight, bespectacled 33-year-old.

She ran with friends to a nearby newsagents shop from where her father was called to escort her home.

The girl later made a complaint to police and Lowrey was traced to his Nottinghamshire home.

Mr Alford said: "When he arranged to meet her he had in his mind the hope of sex.

"There were many communications between them in which he brought up the question of sex and made sexually suggestive remarks to her."

Mr Alford said that Lowrey suggested to the girl that they have sex in the toilets at Grantham Hospital but things changed when she saw him for the first time.

"She saw him and took fright for what ever reason and decided not to go ahead with the meeting."

Officers arrested Lowrey in January 2007 and when his computer was examined police discovered thousands of child porn images including clips of children being abused.

A total of 11,574 images were found on the computer hard drive with 14,896 on an external hard drive including a number of duplicate images.

More child porn was found on a media player and Lowrey had also set up files of child porn that could be accessed by other people.

Lowrey, 33, of Yorke Drive, Newark, admitted meeting a child on 18 January 2006 following sexually grooming.

He also pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing indecent photos of children for show between 2 October 2006, and 18 January 2007 ; 12 charges of making indecent photos of children between 12 November 2005, and 25 November 2006; and three charges of possessing indecent photos of children.

Judge John Milmo QC told him "It is clear these conversations (with the girl] ended not because you discovered she was so young but because she rejected you."

Gordon Aspden, defending, said Lowrey had fathered two chidlren by his wife and following their divorce had two children by another woman in Newark.

It was only when the second relationship broke up that he began looking at porn on the internet.

"It became addictive. One thing led to another and he began to use chatrooms.

"He realises and accepts that he has a serious problem that needs to be addressed," said Mr Aspen.

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