A MAN who tried to prostitute two young girls through Facebook has been jailed.

Luke Heasmer, 35, of Glenburn Close, Bexhill, has been jailed for two and a half years for sexually exploiting two girls as young as 13.

He appeared at Hove Crown Court on Tuesday, March 31 having pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to inciting a girl aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity, two offences of inciting another girl aged between 13 and 17 to engage in prostitution and pornography and theft of an SD memory card.

An investigation by Sussex Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit found Heasmer had been using Facebook to incite the girls into indecent conversation and was asking them to become involved in prostitution for him.

Detective Constable Danny Swietlik said: “We learned that Heasmer had contacted both girls, engaged in sexually explicit exchanges with them, and asked if they would meet other men for payment.”

Fortunately they declined, and we were able to ensure that he was no longer in a position to carry on such contact.”

His guilty pleas meant the girls did not have to give evidence against him in court.”

He will be a registered sex offender for life. He was also served with a Sexual Offences Prevention Order (SOPO) for life, restricting access to children and computers.