Vicar thought he was talking to girl, 12, on Snapchat

Leatherbarrow was seeking distraction from stress and boredom, his lawyer claimed

A former vicar who sent sexualised messages to two people he believed were under-age girls has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Andrew Leatherbarrow, 56, had "allowed his mind to wander down a very dark path", the judge at Liverpool Crown Court told him.

Judge Simon Medland KC heard from Leatherbarrow's lawyer that he had engaged in the chats "as a distraction from work stresses and boredom".

Leatherbarrow was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence and 30 days of rehabilitation, and was made to sign the Sex Offenders' register for 10 years.

The court was told Leatherbarrow did not realise he was communicating with two undercover police officers.

“There is no doubt you were indulging yourself sexually by chatting in a smutty way with under-age persons and you were prepared to carry on doing that," the judge told him.

Leatherbarrow, who was suspended from his post as vicar at All Saints Church in Stoneycroft, Liverpool after the offences came to light last year, admitted two charges of attempted sexual communication with a child to obtain sexual gratification.

Frank Dillon, prosecuting, said an undercover officer created the fictional persona of a 12-year-old girl called Hollie on the online platforms Randochat and Snapchat.

Another officer created a profile for a 13-year-old girl and Leatherbarrow contacted them both, and had sexual conversations with them both over about eight days.

The former vicar resigned from his post at All Saints, Stoneycroft, Liverpool

He was arrested on 9 February, and when officers said they wanted to speak to the user of the two online accounts he said, 'Yes, it’s me'.

When cautioned, he said: "I’m not going to deny I've had those chats but I did not think it was a sexual act."

David Polglase, defending, said that Leatherbarrow had no previous convictions and the defendant, now of Wellington Street, Barnoldswick, Lancashire, had resigned from his post.

Mr Polglase said: "He went down a road seeking distraction from work stresses and boredom in a wholly inappropriate fashion."