A Felixstowe man who wanted to have sex with the 11-year-old daughter of an undercover police woman who was posing as a 32-year-old mum in an internet chat room “sting” has been jailed for two years.

The undercover officer posed in the chat room as a woman called “Tracey” and made a comment along the lines that she was a “naughty mum”, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Clifford Peel, 56, entered into an online chat with “Tracey” and made it clear that he wanted to have a sex with her 11-year-old daughter, said Andrew Jackson, prosecuting.

He said Peel’s comments had become increasingly sexualised during chats over several days and he he had asked about the child’s physical development.

Peel had also sent a picture of himself in his underpants and wanted it to be shown to the 11-year-old girl.

The court heard that following his arrest officers found an indecent film of a child and two extreme pornographic images on his computer equipment.

Peel, of High Road West, Felixstowe, admitted attempting to arrange the commission of a child sex offence, namely the rape of a child under the age of 13, between June 13 and June 16 last year.

He also admitted making an indecent film of a child and possessing an extreme pornographic images in June last year.

Sentencing Peel, Judge Rupert Overbury said that from what Peel told a probation officer it seemed he was in denial about his sexual interest in children.

He said although Peel had wanted to have sex with the child, nothing had actually happened.

In addition to jailing Peel, Judge Overbury made him the subject of a sexual harm prevention order and ordered him to sign the sex offenders’ register.

Both orders will last for 10 years.

Paul Donegan, for Peel, described the chat room offence as “clumsy and far from sophisticated”.

He said Peel had initially been interested in the “mother” of the 11-year-old girl.