A PAEDOPHILE who made a fake social media account to groom a 12-year-old girl has been jailed for four years.

Phillip Jackson, pictured, made a Facebook profile pretending to be a band member from Bars and Melody, who rose to fame through television show Britain’s Got Talent.

The 38-year-old landscape gardener, from Wisborough Green, began messaging the girl in 2014 and sent her indecent images of himself, later persuading her to send nude pictures to him.

The girl’s mother found out and notified police immediately.

When officers arrested Jackson they seized his laptop, on which they uncovered more than 500 indecent images of children.

Jackson was found guilty of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and possession of indecent images of children earlier this month, and was given four years in jail.

He will also be a registered sex offender for life.

He was also issued a sexual harm prevention order, severely restricting his access to children and computers.