Paedophile, 22, posed as a schoolboy to abduct and have sex with 13-year-old girl

A man of 22 who enrolled at a school by pretending to be 16 has admitted abducting and having sex with a young girl.

James Chester ran away with the 13-year-old, whose parents thought he was a genuine schoolboy, last year.

The paedophile, who had a fake birth certificate, wore his school uniform as he wormed his way into the family's confidence.

He took the girl from her home in Portsmouth after telling one of her relatives they were popping out for a pint of milk.

They were found three days later in Northern Ireland.

Chester pleaded guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court to multiple counts of sexual activity with a child.

He also admitted abducting the girl, who he had been dating for several months, in August last year.

He will be sentenced on September 9.

The family of the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had believed that 5ft 10in Chester was 16 years old and welcomed him into their home.

Her father said yesterday that Chester became like another member of the family, joining them for meals and helping with the washing up.

He added: 'I hope he gets locked away for a long time. What he has done to my daughter and our family is unforgivable.

'We welcomed him into our family and we were extremely nice to him. All the time we thought he was someone else.

'We trusted him and he wasn't anything he said he was. It's difficult to get over. She's only a young girl. As a family we did everything we could to protect her.'

Chester had previously used a fake birth certificate and a letter of support to become a Year 10 pupil at St Edmund's Catholic School in Portsmouth in September 2005, when he was 19.

His pretence lasted three weeks before he was spotted and reported to the police.

His teenage victim was not a pupil at this school. A year later, Chester tried to join the City of Portsmouth Boys School, but background checks were conducted and by the time term began in September 2006 he had been found out.

Chester was remanded in custody by the court while two psychiatric reports are compiled.

Sergeant Liam Davies said: 'We are pleased Chester has decided to own up to his responsibilities and acknowledge his actions and behaviour were totally unacceptable.

'The offences to which Chester pleaded guilty are of a very serious nature. The result of his actions has no doubt had a damaging effect on all of the parties involved.'