A man who had sex with a 13-year-old girl in his Penge flat after grooming her on Facebook has been jailed.

Georgi Ivanov, 19, pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to two counts of sexual activity with a child and was today (June 19) given an 18-month sentence.

Ivanov met his victim in 2013 while out with a friend and began talking to her on the social media site, where his conversations “quickly became sexual” despite the girl’s Facebook profile making her age clear.

He soon invited her to his flat, in Penge High Street, and had sex with her – only afterwards expressing concerns that police could “come after him” due to her being underage.

But Ivanov carried on meeting up with the teenager and continued a sexual relationship, until December 9 when she was reported missing and police officers tracked her down to his home.

Ivanov initially denied knowing the victim was underage and, according to police, only “pleaded guilty when faced with the overwhelming evidence gathered from Facebook.”

Detective Inspector Jim Pryde said: "It is not acceptable for older men to prey on children for their own sexual gratification. The defendant knew the victim's age yet continued to abuse her believing he would get away with it.

"I believe there may be other children who have been abused by Georgi Ivanov. I urge them to come forward and, for that matter, any victim of sexual abuse.”