A former Staffordshire child abuse detective has been jailed for three-and-a-half years for grooming a 15-year-old girl.

Andrew Rowe had previously pleaded guilty to five charges under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

Rowe, who is 31 and from Stoke-on-Trent, had worked as a Detective Constable in the force’s child abuse investigation unit and was based in Stafford.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that Rowe, who befriended his victim’s family during his work with Staffordshire Police’s child abuse investigation unit, sent hundreds of inappropriate messages to his victim on Facebook.

He was suspended from duty, and resigned after his first court appearance. Acting Deputy Chief Constable Marcus Beale said: “This was an astonishing breach of trust by an individual officer.

“He badly let down his already vulnerable victim and her family, as well as the wider Staffordshire community and his force. His behaviour was utterly unacceptable.

“As I said when he pleaded guilty, it is hard to imagine a more shocking abuse of position by an officer in whom a young girl had placed her trust. Again, we thank her and her family for their support, cooperation and understanding throughout this inquiry.”

Rowe, who was an officer for 12 years, was arrested within hours of his offences coming to light. The inquiry was overseen by a senior officer in the force’s professional standards department.