A LORRY driver videoed himself performing a sex act while in his vehicle and sent it to what he thought was a 13-year-old girl.

Michael Thomas Taylor filmed the solo sex act while in the cab of his parked lorry.

The 56-year-old then sent the video to what he believed was a young teenage girl whom he had met through an online message service – but it was actually a police officer.

Appearing at Southampton Crown Court, Taylor was given a suspended prison sentence.

The court heard how Taylor first made contact with the ‘girl’ via Kik Messenger, commonly called Kik, which is a free internet messaging service available on mobile phones.

Prosecutor Christopher Wing said Taylor, using the profile name ‘Micky’, entered a chat and began messaging the profile of a girl, who said she was 13.

Mr Wing said Taylor sent sexually explicit messages to the account, which was being controlled by a specialist police officer.

During the conversation, Taylor told the ‘girl’ he was a lorry driver and sent a video of him performing a sex act on himself while in his vehicle.

Mr Wing said that police later arrested Taylor at his home in Beaver Drive, Bishopstoke, and found more than 50 indecent images.

Taylor’s defence barrister, Charles Gabb, said: “He feels intense shame and embarrassment, which of course he should.

“It was an awful awful thing to do.”

He said that his client had also struggled to come to terms with his actions.

Mr Gabb said as a result Taylor had only pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to engage in sexual activity with a child, one count of attempting to incite a child to watch a sexual act and one count of making indecent images of child, on the day of his trial.

Judge Gary Burrell QC sentenced Taylor to a 10 month prison sentence, which he suspended for two years.

He also ordered Taylor to complete a sex offender rehabilitation programme, attend 55 days of rehabilitation activity requirement and made him the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, with an unlimited time period.

Taylor was also made the subject of a six month GPS tracking order and ordered to pay £1,200 in costs.