A Twickenham man has been jailed for contacting a 12-year-old girl and asking for sex and naked pictures - despite being a registered sex offender.

Michael Riley, from Hampton, was sentenced on Thursday (August 11) to six years behind bars at Kingston Crown Court, with a three-year extended licence to protect the public.

The registered sex offender was found guilty of possessing indecent images and attempting to facilitate a meeting with a child under 16 years for the purpose of a child sex offence.

He had previously been the subject of a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) after he was convicted in 2009 of possessing and making indecent images of children.

A further order was then made in December 2014 when he was convicted of attempting to facilitate a sex act with a child under 16.

Already on Sex Offenders Register for life

As a result, the court ordered the destruction of his computers and conditions were placed on him preventing him communicating with young children

He was also made to sign the Sex Offenders Register for life.

But in 2015, officers established he had access to a computer he had not decalred.

The device was seized by police and it was established Riley had used it to conduct internet searches which breached his SOPO.

Examination revealed 55 indecent images of children and fragments of deleted internet chat messages, where Riley was using the fake name Gary Holmes under user name yragholmes.

He used a variety of social media to contact young girls including Kik, Skype and WhatsApp before his arrest on September 15 last year.

'Predatory sex offender'

Officers then visited the home of a 16-year-old girl who confirmed a man calling himself Gary Holmes and contacted her and asked her to send him naked pictures of herself, and meet for sex.

The girl was 15 at the time of the contact, but had told Riley she was 12-years old.

Police Constable David Simms, Richmond, Public Protection Unit, said: "Riley has proved himself to be a predatory sex offender, who will breach conditions placed on him in order to commit sexual offences against children.

"I cannot rule out that he may have been in contact with other children and I would ask anyone who thinks they may be been contacted by him, to contact the police on 020 8247 7047.

"Officers from the Public Protection Unit, working alongside our partner agencies will use the full force of the law to ensure that offenders like Riley cannot offend and will face the prospect of prison when they do."