A paedophile who enticed a young girl from her bedroom on Christmas Eve to commit sex offences has been jailed for more than three years.

Judge Colin Burn told Bradford Crown Court the child “no doubt thought she was to look at Christmas presents”.

Jailing Craig Baldwin, 40, the judge said: “Mercifully, no physical force was used and that is as much as I can say.”

But he warned the victim – who was six at the time – could suffer increasing distress as she gets older.

Baldwin, of Whycote End, Wyke, Bradford, was convicted in February of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.

Sentence was adjourned until yesterday for reports.

Judge Burn also told Baldwin that because he denied the offences and had shown no remorse, there was no reduction in the length of sentence.

The court heard that Baldwin, a father-of-one, had previous convictions – but not of a similar nature.

Judge Burn said ‘some persistence’ had been involved in the offences. Baldwin had been at the girl’s house and coaxed her from her bedroom.

“The victim was very young but she it is likely the degree of distress will increase as she gets older and understands more of what she was subjected to,” he said.

Baldwin was jailed for three-and-a-half years for inciting a child to sexual activity and 18 months for engaging in sexual activity. Both sentences will be served concurrently.

He was also made subject to an indefinite sexual offences prevention order.

In mitigation Baldwin’s barrister Gillian Batts told the court her client presented a low risk of re-offending.

“This was an isolated incident and there is no suggestion he has engaged in inappropriate behaviour towards children in the past,” she said.

“Neither is there any suggestion he has an unhealthy interest in children.”

Miss Batts added: “The defendant’s son has taken this conviction very hard and it is hoped prison does not cause the relationship to break down.”

She added that Baldwin was finding prison hard but had “applied himself” and got a job within the jail.