A MAN has been jailed for seven years for sexually abusing a teenager with learning difficulties while forcing her to dress in Fifty Shades of Grey bondage kit.

Joseph Maxwell Spencer, 35, ruthlessly exploited the trusting Bradford girl to gratify his own pleasures, said the judge who sentenced him.

Spencer, who had been held in Leeds Prison for a year, wept loudly as he was yesterday led down to the cells at Bradford Crown Court.

He was convicted by the jury of causing or inciting the girl to engage in sexual activity and eight charges of making indecent photos of her.

Spencer was cleared of three allegations of having sex with the girl when she was 15.

During the trial, the jury was shown photos Spencer had taken of the bound and gagged girl posing indecently in a red and black basque.

Two film clips showed him having sex with her as she cried out in distress.

Judge Peter Benson said the girl, who had severe learning difficulties, behaved like a child of seven or eight when she was 15.

He told Spencer: "You exploited her vulnerability in a ruthless way and acquired a bondage kit based on the film Fifty Shades of Grey, and she was forced to dress up in it. It consisted of a gag, handcuffs, a red and black basque and a whip."

Although some of the photos may have been with the girl's consent, Spencer had inveigled his way into her affections to gratify his sexual pleasures. He tormented her on video while having sex with her when she was bound and gagged, the judge said.

"It was a most disgusting picture and you were acting with a degree of brutality which I am sure the jury found quite shocking," added Judge Benson.

During the trial, the court heard that Spencer ordered the Fifty Shades of Grey bondage kit on the internet after watching the film.

He was arrested after one of the girl's schoolteachers saw him walking hand-in-hand with her and police found the photos and film clips on his computer.

Spencer's barrister, Nicholas Barker, said he was previously of good character and had suffered trauma and tragedy fighting as a child soldier in Liberia.

The images of the girl dressed in bondage gear were all taken on one day after she had turned 16.

Judge Benson made a Sexual Harm Prevention Order banning Spencer from approaching or contacting the girl and from having unsupervised contact with children.

He must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

After the case, Detective Constable Donna Hector, of the Bradford District Safeguarding Unit, said: "Spencer befriended his victim and her family then took advantage of her vulnerabilities to sexually exploit and degrade her.

"I hope the sentence he has received today will be of some comfort to her and help her to move forward with her life.

"We would also like to thank our partners in education who first brought Spencer's inappropriate behaviour to our attention.

"Police in Bradford District are committed to protecting the vulnerable and would urge anyone with concerns about exploitation to report them to our specialist officers, who will investigate every report with the aim of bringing perpetrators to justice."