A Sittingbourne guitar teacher has been jailed after he molested a teenage girl and downloaded child sex abuse images.

Luke Davis, said to be from a strong Christian background, was in his early 30s and the girl was 14 when he groped her, Maidstone Crown Court heard.

The teenager was reluctant to support a prosecution against the musician until she was told about the indecent material found on his computer.

Davis, of Canterbury Road, Bapchild, was sentenced to nine months after admitting four offences of sexual activity with a child and five of making indecent photographs of a child.

Prosecutor John O'Higgins said Davis, now 35, had a purpose built studio at the end of his garden at the family home and taught adults and children.

"She had a crush on him and she was adamant she didn't want anything to happen to him..." - prosecutor John O'Higgins

Conversations between him and the victim on Facebook came to the notice of police in 2012.

"She was reluctant to cooperate," said Mr O'Higgins. "She was clearly embarrassed. She stated she really liked the defendant. She knew his age.

"She had a crush on him and she was adamant she didn't want anything to happen to him. It continued until it was discovered what was on his computer. When aware of this, she cooperated."

The victim told how Davis cuddled and kissed her and touched her breasts and buttocks. She stopped him from going any further and there came a point where she thought he was going too far.

Mr O'Higgins said about 65,000 images were found on Davis's computer - about 1,500 of which were "pornography in the general sense". Twenty-eight files were identified as containing child abuse images.

There was one at the highest level of five, one at level four, six at level three and 17 at level one.

Judge Martin Joy said the offences were not without considerable impact as the victim had become reclusive and attempted suicide.

He told Davis: "You knew exactly what you were doing and you should not have been doing it. Those minded to commit this sort of offence have to be deterred.

"The court has to deal with it with some severity."

Davis was placed on the sex offenders' register for 10 years and banned from unsupervised contact with girls under 16.

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