Prisoner jailed over sex messages to 13-year-old

A paedophile prisoner who sent sexualised messages to a 13-year-old girl from a prison has been jailed for three years.

Martin Mills, 38, was using a mobile phone which had been sneaked into North Sea Camp Open Prison at Freiston, near Boston, Lincolnshire.

A statement from the victim's mother said her daughter had self-harmed and needed counselling after Mills' messages "lured her to very dark places".

Mills, who was in prison after being convicted of multiple offences including child rape in 2011, previously pleaded guilty to four charges dating back to 2024.

They included engaging in sexual communications with a child, making indecent photographs of a child, possessing a mobile phone in prison, and breaching a Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

The sentencing hearing at Lincoln Crown Court heard how the phone was discovered by a fellow inmate.

Messages were found on a teen chat app asking "are you OK?" and "do you love me?".

Mills made it clear he wanted to have sex with the child and asked for indecent images of her, the court heard.

Forty-seven indecent images were found to have be downloaded to the phone.

The mother's statement, read out by the prosecution, said Mills' messages "broke her confidence and stopped her being the outgoing and happy child she was previously".

Sam Lowne, mitigating, said Mills admitted his guilt during interview.

"He accepts he has a problem and has undertaken multiple courses to escape his behaviour," Lowne explained.

The court was told Mills' previous convictions had all been sex offences, including the rape of a child under the age of 13.

Judge Simon Hirst said it was clear the impact on his victim was significant and added that Mills had been assessed as a danger to young teenage girls.

Mills, who watched the hearing via a video-link from HMP Whatton, was jailed for three years.

A restraining order was also made which prevents Mills having any contact with the victim or her family and he was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

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