A judge has said female sex offenders should be treated the same as male ones after jailing a middle-aged mother for grooming a schoolboy over Facebook.

Karen Robb, 43, sent explicit messages to the child and exposed her breasts to him on a video web chat between December 2016 and August 2017.

She claimed she and the boy had 'fallen in love' after they met up and planned to 'hold hands' in public and do 'naughty things'.

The mother-of-one, of Blackpool, Lancashire, had no direct sexual contact with the boy and was jailed for 16 months today.

Karen Robb, 43 (pictured) sent explicit messages to a 15-year-old and exposed her breasts to him on a video chat between December 2016 and August 2017

Guilty: Mother-of-one Karen Robb, 43, was jailed for 16 months after admitting sexual grooming of a child

She admitted one count of meeting a child following sexual grooming and one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child.

The affair started when the boy added her on social media and ended when his mother saw messages on his phone and the defendant's husband suspected her of being unfaithful.

Jailing her and subjecting her to a 10-year restraining and sexual harm prevention order, judge Heather Lloyd told her: 'When you began this conduct you knew his age.

'It may well be that as a rather naive teenager he started these conversations but when that happened, you as an adult mother, should have taken him off your account or contacted his mother.

'Instead of exchanging images of each other and encouraging him, you should have told him to stop and should have ended it there and there.

'There was a discussion about meeting up to arrange in a private place to do 'naughty things.

The mother-of-one (pictured) of Blackpool, Lancashire, had no direct sexual contact with the boy and was jailed for 16 months today

'It is clear that he became to think that he had feelings for you. You have denied deriving any sexual pleasure from this behaviour but I do not accept that.

'Of course you did, otherwise you would not have acted as you did and it is clear you were flatted by the attention you was getting.

'It may well be that you did find him attractive and were at this low point in your life but he was a child.

'This was not a moment of madness and this conversation and behaviour lasted for weeks.

'Your criminal behaviour has meant to loss of the relationship with the father of your son and this has also meant the loss of contact with your own son.

'I am concerned that you lack insight into the seriousness of what you have done.

Robb (pictured) claimed she and the boy had 'fallen in love' after they met up and planned to 'hold hands' in public and do 'naughty things'

'This child is particularly vulnerable due to his personal circumstance and this went on for some time.

'I do take into account the fact that this was a particularly difficult time in your life and you have no previous convictions.

'It is true most offenders involved in this criminality are male, but there are female offenders too.

'There is no reason to treat a female sexual offender and a male sexual offender in any different ways. I am not satisfied that it is appropriate to suspend your sentence in this case.'

Robb (pictured) admitted one count of meeting a child following sexual grooming and one count of engaging in sexual communication with a child

Wearing a baggy Hawaii T shirt and blue hoodie, she was watched by her new boyfriend from the public gallery.

Earlier the court heard Robb, who is unemployed, exchanged a large number of Facebook messages with the victim between Christmas 2016 and August last year.

Prosecutor Francis McEntee said: 'They became friends online and began communicating.

'Being naive, he did engage willingly in what was an inappropriate online relationship.

'He explained his love for her and she began to engage more and more with exchange.

'Conversation began to get explicit when she said that he loved his private parts.

'She is clearly taking advantage of naive and vulnerable young man.

'The defendant appeared on an online video service to the victim and was naked on a bed touching her breasts.

'She asked the defendant to expose his private parts to her. There is a discussion about meeting and there is a naive expression presented by the victim when he says 'I would like to hold hands with you'.

'This never took place and when they did meet it is clear that no sexual contact took place.

'The parents of the victim became aware of the contact after his mother checked his phone.

'She confronted him about the exchanged and they decided to deal with it as a family but it was the involvement of the defendants then-partner that brought the attention to the police.'

Robb is pictured as a child with comedians Bobby Davro (left) and Mick Miller (right)

Defence lawyer John Woodward said: 'At the time, she was coming to the end of a relationship that she had with her partner of 15 years.

'She told probation he was violent to her at the end of this relationship.

'She was effectively homeless and staying in hotels. She took some comfort from communicating with other males on Facebook.

'Her partner became suspicious of extra-marital affairs but this was a one-off. She was flattered by the attention he gave her.

'Initially she told he that 'we cannot do this'. She herself was vulnerable. She acted stupidly and would be the first to admit that.

'She did succumb to him persuading her to do things and that is something she very much regrets. Her remorse is genuine.

'Her life is completely different now to how it was then and she has a settled partner.

'She apologies very much to the victim and his parents for what she did.

'She has an 11-year-old child who has learning difficulties who she has not been seen since her former partner will not let her. This has caused her real distress and upset.'