[Bev]

A judge has been criticised for failing to jail a pervert who groomed a 14-year-old girl for sex after ruling he was being 'simply a young man'.

Turon Ali, 26, groomed the schoolgirl by sending her explicit text messages and then arranged a secret meeting where he planned to abuse her.

He was only prevented from sexually assaulting the girl when her older brother found one of the texts and alerted police.

But Ali avoided jail at Cambridge Crown Court with a 12-month suspended sentence after a top judge ruled he was 'not a paedophile as such'.

Judge Gareth Hawkesworth said: 'You thought she was ''easy' meat''. You were thrust into a moral vacuum without a single care of what you might be doing.

'You are not a paedophile as such. You are simply a young man who was unable to control his sexual urges.'

Children's charity campaigners yesterday slammed the lenient sentence and Claude Knights, director of Kidscape, described Ali's crime as 'very serious'.

She said: 'We have to ask what is meant by the phrase, 'not a paedophile as such'. Sexual offenders do not adhere to a stereotype.

'We know that they come from all classes, professions, racial and religious backgrounds.

'Grooming a minor with the clear intention of engaging in sexual activity with her is a very serious crime, and needs to be recognised as such.

'This young girl's brother saved her from a terrible experience, and he should be commended for his actions.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1360514/Turon-Ali-groomed-girl-14-escapes-prison-Judge-says-hes-real-paedophile.html