A SEXUAL fantasist who groomed and abused two vulnerable schoolchildren has been branded a public danger and locked up for four years.

Kallum Goddard's "lust for sex" had led him down "a very dark pathway," Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Goddard, 20, will serve a seven year extended jail sentence, made up of four years' custody in a young offender institution followed by three years on closely supervised licence.

The court heard he sent sexual text messages to a 14-year-old boy, when he himself was 16, then groomed and sexually abused a 14-year-old girl.

Goddard was convicted by a jury of three offences of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity in 2011.

He was one of many defendants who contacted a confused and vulnerable boy from the Bradford area on the internet.

Goddard and the child exchanged "serious, deviant sexual," text messages, prosecutor Anthony Dunne said.

Last year, Goddard sexually molested a 14-year-old girl at his Bradford bedsit after "grooming and flattering her", the court heard.

She was in foster care and played truant from school to meet up with him.

Mr Dunne said he abused her on his bed and stripped off his clothes, exposing himself.

The girl told her teacher she was absent from class because she was meeting her boyfriend, who attended a local school. When checks were made, she revealed Goddard was aged 20.

The police were alerted and Goddard, of Newbury Walk, Huddersfield, admitted sexual activity with a child.

While he was awaiting sentence, he told his probation officer the boy and girl were to blame for what happened.

The court heard that the girl was so upset about what Goddard had done that she spent three days in her room.

She felt dirty, ashamed and sick and suffered sleepless nights and bad dreams.

Goddard's barrister, Allan Armbrister, said his client was immature and naive with "an insatiable sexual appetite".

"He was confused about his sexuality and that led him down a very dark pathway," Mr Armbrister said.

When he contacted the boy, Goddard was "wrapped up in his own fantasy world."

"He had a lust for sex and was alone, bored and in front of a computer."

Goddard did not have sex with either of the children or try to force himself on them.

Judge Jonathan Rose said Goddard was a manipulative sexual groomer who posed a very high risk of harm to children.

Goddard must sign on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period and a Sexual Offences Prevention Order bans him from contacting his victims or having any unsupervised contact with children under 16.