Father tried to hire prostitute for 14-year-old

A man who wanted a prostitute to take his son's virginity as a present for the 14-year-old was spared jail today.

The Polish national took the boy out in his car and allowed him to pick the prostitute, who was standing at the side of the road in Nottingham's red-light district.

But the 42-year-old father was arrested after the teenager chose an undercover police officer, Nottingham Crown Court heard.

Today, the man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was handed a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for a year.

The full-time carer, from Bulwell, Nottingham, earlier admitted a charge of trying to solicit a woman to have sex with a child.

The court heard that the father was arrested in the Mapperley area of Nottingham during an undercover operation by the city's vice squad.

Adrian Harris, prosecuting, said: "It was about 11.30pm on July 26 last year. An undercover police officer whose code name was Sarah said a car drove up to her. It was driven by the defendant who beckoned her over.

"He was not alone in the car and in the passenger seat was a boy. The defendant said: 'Hello baby, how much?'

"She said: 'It depends what you want.' He replied: 'Come on baby, what is it that you do? How much for a proper shag for him?' And then he pointed to his son."

Mr Harris said the undercover officer replied the cost would be £25 but this was negotiated down to £20.

"The defendant said he would pull over and at this point he was arrested by plainclothes police officers and both he and the boy were interviewed separately."

Mr Harris added: "The boy said that they had driven past the girl and his dad pointed to her and said 'will she do?'

"He said 'yes' and they had turned round. He said his dad did this because he was still a virgin and he was taking care of that for him

Judge Jonathan Teare said he was not sending the defendant to prison because of his excellent character and that he believed he did not mean any harm to his son.

The judge said: "What you were doing that night was to expose your 14-year-old son to a prostitute because you didn't know she was a police officer.

"You have a duty of care to your son and that is to look after his moral welfare, not as you might think to break him in to the ways of sex through a prostitute."

The court heard the defendant and his son arrived from Poland eight years ago following the death of his wife and the boy's mother. He had remarried and his new wife suffered from schizophrenia.

Dressed in a black fleece and black trousers, the defendant sat listening to today's hearing with the help of an interpreter.

His barrister Matthew Smith said: "There is a thorough sense of shame the defendant feels, it's completely at odds with every other part of his character."

Mr Smith added that the boy will be allowed to continue to live with his father. The defendant will have to sign on the sex offenders register for five years.