A LONG distance lorry driver who made a video of himself having sex with a 14-year-old babysitter has been sent to jail for two years.

Martin Digweed, 40, gave the girl money and gifts to encourage her to sleep with him while he taped it, Swindon Crown Court was told.

The father-of-two who was appearing in court on his birthday, started by taking photos of the girl when she was still 13 years old and graduated over a six month period to having full sex with her.

The court was told that the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, went to his house to help baby-sit for his daughters when he used to work as a taxi driver.

Sexual activity between the two started in January, starting with Digweed taking photographs of the girl in return for £20.

Roger Jones, prosecuting, said the first video was made the following month and showed Digweed carrying out a sex act on the teenager. He paid her £50 on top of the £20 he had paid her for babysitting. Mr Jones said a second video was made in early July this year in which intercourse took place

He told the court: "She was promised a mobile phone as a result of what she allowed herself to undergo on that occasion. There was a degree of reluctance, or if not a disinterest, in what was going on. A disinterest in what was going on, but not in the reward."

He said she "gave no sign of being flirtatious or enjoying what went on, just what reward was on offer," but accepted that the video was made with her full knowledge and consent.

At an earlier hearing Digweed, of Ponting Street, Rodbourne, pleaded guilty to indecent assault, unlawful sexual intercourse and two counts of permitting the taking of indecent photographs of a child.

Mike Pulsford, defending, said "He is ashamed of himself to be here in this court. He has always maintained that he never set out to sexually abuse this young lady."

Sentencing him to four years in custody, half of which would be served in the community in the form of an extended licence, Judge John McNaught described the sexual relationship as "disgusting and abhorrent".

He said "It is made worse by the fact that you paid this girl for what she did. It is also made worse that for your own gratification you made a video of it. If I didn't send you to prison people would read about this case and think the courts had gone mad."