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A serving police officer has been jailed after having sex with a child rape victim he met online.

PC James Evans, 26, who served in the Metropolitan Police, exchanged dozens of “sex talk” messages with the vulnerable 15-year-old schoolgirl on the Tinder dating app.

She performed a sex act on him in his car while he was driving her home from a session with child mental health services.

Despite knowing she was under 16 and a rape victim, he later took her to his flat in Ruislip, west London, where they engaged in full intercourse.

Evans, now of Pontypridd , was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday and will be on the Sex Offenders’ Register for life.

Judge Robin Johnson said: “Before any sexual activity you knew she was a vulnerable young girl. Nevertheless, you allowed your own desire to overcome your better judgement.

“The reason why Parliament and the public take this kind of offending so seriously is because the harm caused in these cases is incalculable.”

He added: “You were a serving police officer and knew you were dealing with a young vulnerable girl – because of her previous sexual assault she was receiving mental health treatment at the time.

“Her victim impact statement makes for sad reading, and I have no doubt this episode has caused her serious psychological harm.”

Evans and the girl “matched” on Tinder in January 2016 and engaged in sexual activity on three occasions during the same month.

He claims he did not notice the warning symbol on her profile page stating that she was under the age of 18.

Their messages on the social media site became “more and more explicit” and sex acts were described, Douglas Adams, prosecuting, said.

The victim initially lied about her age, claiming she was 16, but told Evans she was only 15 and still at school before they had any sexual contact and even told him she was taking exams.

The abuse has had a “severe” effect on her and she has been taken to hospital a number of times since the incident after taking an overdose of sleeping pills.

In a statement read to the court, she said: “I now know he took full advantage of my vulnerabilities.

“I told James I had been sexually assaulted the previous August and now I know he should have acted differently as a police officer.”

Her mother reported the relationship to police after reading her daughter’s diary and finding photographs of Evans in his police uniform.

Evans pleaded guilty to six counts of sexual activity with a child.

He initially denied having any sexual contact with the girl but later made full admissions to the offences.

“I know it was stupid – I had sex with her, knowing she was 15,” Evans said during police interview.