A woman has been jailed for six years after seducing a vulnerable young girl using letters from a ghost called Steve.

Elizabeth Carolan, 59, created a fantasy world in a bizarre plot to have sex with the youngster.

Carolan, known as Liz, of Dymchurch Road, Hythe, had denied four sex assault charges, but was convicted by a jury at Canterbury Crown Court.

The judge said the case was bizarre and told her: You behaved in a wicked way towards this vulnerable girl just to satisfy you own sexual gratification."

Prosecutor Charlotte Newell said that some of the attacks happened at a holiday camp and a swimming pool.

She said Carolan bombarded the girl with more than 170 letters from fictitious people including soldiers, a character called Daddy and a ghost called Steve.

Ms Newell added: "The girl needed love and support. Carolan knew that and knew that she was vulnerable and was an easy target.

"Instead of mollycoddling, showing her love and support, she undid this girl's bra.

"She had a sexual interest in this girl and manipulated her as it was easy to do."

It was then that Carolan started to write fake letters - in an effort to manipulate her victim.

The prosecutor added: "She had a rather twisted and strange view of the world, encouraging an apparent correspondence with a number of males that she (the victim) had never met and which (the victim) now believes was simply invented by Liz.

"At the time she believed a whole cast of characters were writing to her and creating a fantasy world.

"The purpose of which was to ensure she never sought a real-life boyfriend who might take her away from this situation."

The prosecutor said: "Liz created a fantasy family for this girl, letters from many characters including Tony and Rob ... and a ghost call Steve.

"None of these people ever materialised, never seen in person. We say they never existed."

Ms Newell added: "Steve was the ghost, an invention of course, but an invention who wrote letters of his own but also passed information.

"This was, the Crown say, a device to explain how the apparent author of one of the letters, who was allegedly in a hospital after having his arm blown off in Afghanistan, might know of a row with Liz that day.

"So how would they know about the row? Well the answer is that a ghost is watching them. So Steve was a device to explain how they would know those things.

"Even letters from the ghost managed to have a sexual angle, with one saying: 'Don't stop the love games. Me love it'," she claimed.

Another letter, purporting to be from Rob, who was supposed to be a boyfriend admirer type of figure, read: "Don't show your body to anyone, (just) to me, Steve, and Andy and Liz."

The prosecutor added: "One can only imagine the effect that these letters, pages upon pages, had on this adolescent young girl, making it difficult for her to exercise judgment or free will."