A MAN drove more than 200 miles to have sex with a Bury schoolgirl after plying her with drugs and vodka - then afterwards gave her a teddy bear.

Married father of two Chuku Anyawu groomed his 15-year-old victim via Facebook and sent her more than 600 text messages to persuade her to meet him for sex.

When she hesitated, the 48-year-old, of Worsley Road, Stratford, London, sent her pictures of vodka and cannabis spliffs "to show her what she missing," Judge Elliot Knopf said before sentencing Anyawu at Bolton Crown Court this morning.

Judge Knopf said Anyawu had preyed on a vulnerable teenager and groomed and abused her before jailing him for five years and six months.

The court heard the girl, who is in care, started talking to Anyawu last May.

He called himself "Prince Chris" during their online conversations and claimed to be 23 — sending her a picture of a much younger-looking man.

The victim initially told Anyawu she was aged 17, but admitted to being aged 15 before they had sex.

As time went on, the pair progressed to talking via email, text message and over the phone.

Anyawu made several requests for the girl to send him naked pictures of herself.

They discussed ways they could meet and Anyawu offered to pay for the girl to travel by train to London, but she was worried she would be reported missing.

Anyawu suggested she get a lift to Oldham where his cousin would drive her to London, but her care workers refused to take her there.

On August 9, Anyawu drove to Bury in a Mazda and parked outside her home at 10pm.

Prosecution counsel Peter Turner said: "The girl wasn't sure it was him because, in his photograph, he looked like he was in his 20s and this man was much older, though she recognised his voice from the phone."

The girl got in the car and Anyawu put his hand on his victim's thigh before suggesting they go to a hotel, but she became alarmed and got out of the vehicle at a set of traffic lights.

The pair's communication continued and Anyawu drove back to Bury on August 25, after persuading the girl to sneak out of her bedroom window at 12.30am.

Anyawu drove her to a wooded area behind a Birtle restaurant and drank whisky while she drank vodka and smoked cannabis, the court heard.

Mr Turner added: "They then had sex. The victim said that she felt obliged to have sex with him because he had driven from London and brought her drink and drugs.

"He gave her a teddy bear afterwards."

The following day, the girl told her care workers what happened and police were called.

Anyawu was arrested and officers searched his mobile phone records and internet data.

At an earlier hearing, he had admitted one count of sexual activity with a child and one count of sexual grooming.

The court heard he had worked as a rent collection officer for 20 years and had two children, aged 16 and 12.

Judge Knopf said Anyawu had been leading a double life and "did not care one iota about the victim's age."

He added:: "After the first meeting, you wouldn't let it rest and you had unprotected sex with no consideration about the possibility of pregnancy or sexually transited infection for the girl.

"You chose your target and once you had your target, you pursued it with single-minded intention to have sex with her."

Anyawu must sign the sex offenders' register and is also subject to a sexual offences prevention order, which prohibits him from working with children unsupervised upon his release from prison.