A Hampshire court heard an underage schoolgirl missed class and felt sick with stress after receiving inappropriate messages from an Aldershot man.

Alan Webber was given an 18-month community order on Thursday (February 20) for admitting to a count of sexual communication with a child.

The victim of the 50-year-old of Nursery Close has local links but cannot be named for legal reasons.

The defendant sat with his head lowered in the dock as Basingstoke Magistrates Court heard impact statements from the victim and her mother.

Magistrates heard the victim “had a complete meltdown” and had to be taken out of class because of the episode, with confidence and friendships also being affected.

“It has had a detrimental effect on my education – it’s always going on in the background,” read part of the statement.

“This year has been horrible and I have found it hard to explain how I felt.”

The victim’s mother said the incident would have a long-term effect on her daughter, adding she had been betrayed by someone she trusted.

She said: “Our family has been manipulated and I think his actions have made me a worse parent. My confidence as a parent has gone.”

The bench thanked both victims for their help in bringing Webber to justice, as their “powerfully put” statements influenced their decision.

Mr Lucy, for Webber, said in mitigation that Webber is “clearly remorseful for his actions” and was “unsure what was going on at the time” because he was drunk.

He also called for the early guilty plea – given at a previous hearing – to be taken into consideration before calling the episode, which began with initial texting, an “isolated incident”.

Mr Lucy added: “He is between jobs, mindful of his next steps and is in a difficult position.

“He is someone on medication for depression and anxiety and frustrated about the root causes – he also has low emotional intelligence.”

The court heard that Webber was a man of good character with the bench giving the defendant credit for his early guilty plea. But he was told the “serious offence” was enough to warrant an 18-month community order, and that another bench on a different day may have considered a custodial sentence.

Webber must also take part in 30 rehabilitation activity days and was ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, reduced from 300 because of his early guilty plea.

The defendant must also pay a £114 court surcharge and £85 costs, and must obey a five-year notification requirement. The ruling means he must give his full name and particulars to the police, along with access to his phone records and internet history.

Webber must also return to the court next month as a decision on whether to make the defendant the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order was deferred, with the defence opposing the application.

The order is intended to protect the public from sexual harm by restricting behaviour, but the court must be satisfied the offender presents a risk before confirmation.