A TRAINEE engineer who sent a 14-year-old schoolgirl text messages asking for sex has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Dennis Kacheche, aged 22, put his head in her lap as they watched DVDs and played with her hair.

But the girl, who was accompanied by a friend on a visit to his home, refused to go into another room for sex.

She had contacted him through an internet chatroom and revealed her true age, Worcester Crown Court heard.

In January a jury convicted Kacheche, of Fountain Court, Waterside, Evesham, of meeting a child after sexual grooming.

Judge John Cavell said immediate custody was the usual sentence for such a serious offence.

But the defendant was naive, had no previous sexual convictions and nothing criminal had happened at his home.

He was sentenced to six months jail, suspended for two years, and ordered to attend a sex offenders' group work programme.

Kacheche must also sign the sex offenders' register for seven years.

He told the jury he was ashamed of seven messages sent over four days asking for sex.

Most of them, described by him as "just a bit of banter", were sent when he was drunk.

But prosecutor Lee Marklew had suggested he was going to take advantage of the girl if the opportunity arose.

Defence counsel Martin Steen said Kacheche did not initiate the contact with the girl and had used no coercion.

The girl thought he was "a nice guy who was friendly" and had taken course work to his home.

Mr Steen said the defendant's parents strongly disapproved of his behaviour.

Kacheche came to England at the age of 15 and was disadvantaged by his small stature and immaturity.

The former hotel waiter was now planning to rejoin a mechanical engineering course which had been put on hold by the case.