Spurred on by their friends as a dare two girls sent text messages to Timothy Lawrence, who claimed he was a boy their age.

In reality he was a convicted sex offender who had only just got out of prison for attempting to kidnap a child.

One of his victims, aged 15, agreed to meet Lawrence, pictured on page one, and he went on to sexually abuse her over a number of months.

The other girl, who was 12, refused to see him but he bombarded her with sexually explicit text messages and images.

Detective Constable Jamie Palmer said: ‘It’s the first case I have ever come across where a mobile number has been left on a bus stop.

‘It should be a warning that you shouldn’t be contacting people that you don’t know by text or on the internet because you don’t know who is on the other end until you meet them and it could be someone that you really shouldn’t be meeting.’

Lawrence had written his mobile phone number outside two schools in the Havant borough area.

After he was contacted by the 15-year-old he set up a tent in some woods in Waterlooville were he could take her.

The contact started in October last year but it only came to light in April when the teenager’s mother spotted some pictures of the defendant on her daughter’s mobile phone.

She confronted the girl who told her everything and they went to the police.

When officers searched Lawrence’s bedroom in Stakes Road, Purbook, they found four mobile phones hidden around the home.

Checks on the phones and the messages he had sent led police to the 12-year-old victim.

Lawrence, 32, had told her he was a 15-year-old called Eddy and they exchanged 500 text messages over a three month period, including ones asking her for sex.

Det Con Palmer said: ‘This case has caused great distress to both families, with young girls that are at a time in their lives when they are easily influenced.

‘It has caused problems for the girls at school and at home.’

A judge at Portsmouth Crown Court handed Lawrence an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection. He must serve a minimum of two-and-a-half years but will only be released from prison when he is deemed safe.

Judge Roger Hetherington said: ‘I think it’s highly unlikely that the defendant will be released for quite some time but that is a matter for the parole board.’