"It was made clear to you that this girl was 14."
Mohammed Miah, aged 61, of Fenham, Newcastle, was jailed for 18 months after the married cab driver was caught arranging to pay £100 for sex with a child.
The man was caught in a police sting when he answered a classified advert offering “real young girls”.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that Miah responded by phone to an online advert on Vivastreet.
The advert had been covertly placed by undercover police in January 2021.
Miah, a father himself, said he “wanted a girl who was British” and arranged to pay £100 for sex with a 14-year-old.
Michael Bunch, prosecuting, said the advert had been placed by police as part of a “sting operation” and was headed ‘Real young girls in Newcastle now’.
Mr Bunch explained that Miah was told during the conversation:
“We have our Amber who is 14, she’s available for full sex, are you happy with that?”
Miah agreed that he was happy and confirmed he wanted to make the ‘booking’.
Mr Bunch said: “Later on in the conversation, the defendant again confirmed he understood that the girl he was talking about was only 14.
“The arrangement was that the defendant would attend a location at 4:30 that afternoon.”
Around half an hour before the meeting, a text message was sent to Miah. It contained a postcode for him to attend.
Once the cab driver travelled to the area, he received further directions by phone to a location in Newcastle city centre, where the police were waiting for him.
Miah admitted arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.
Gavin Doig, defending, said Miah and people close to him are in poor health and added:
“It is a source of concern to him that a custodial sentence, a prison sentence, will result in not only punishment for him but difficulties for others.”
Judge Edward Bindloss accepted Miah was remorseful.
He said: “You engaged in a discussion with another person and agreed to pay £100 for sexual intercourse with a 14-year-old British girl.
“It was made clear to you that this girl was 14.
“You must have known this 14-year-old was likely to be controlled or emotionally vulnerable.”
“This was a sting operation. There was no 14-year-old girl.”
Miah was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
He was also made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and must sign the sex offenders’ register for 10 years.
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