A Northolt man who had sex with an underage girl has escaped a jail term because he has mental health problems.

Glen Carter, 25, of Pine Court, Aspen Lane, admitted having sex with the 15-year-old girl three times, after initially telling her he was 18.

However, Judge Sam Katkhuda, sitting at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday, told Carter that despite the crime holding a maximum of 14 years in jail he would not be jailed.

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, did not wish to assist police following the arrest of her lover, Glen Carter, in June – prosecutor Jessica Cook told Isleworth Crown Court.

She said: “The relationship lasted for about four months until April this year and the girl then did not want to return to her mother and refused to help the police.

"Eventually she did return home and gave an account of her relationship with the defendant.

“The only dispute in the case is whether the defendant, on one occasion pulled her hair, pushed her and became obsessive within the relationship".

Ms Cook agreed the youngster was "a troubled young lady".

Carter admitted three charges of sexual activity with a child between December last year and April.

His counsel, Sarah Ellis, said he had lost three stone in weight while spending four months in prison on remand, and that he suffered from psychiatric problems and was asthmatic.

She told the court: "This young lady presented as rather older than she was and the sexual intercourse only occurred when she was comfortable with it.

“It was entirely consensual and there was no violence of any kind".

Pointing out that Carter told the girl he was 18 when they met, Judge Sam Katkhuda went through all the sentencing options.

He told the defendant: "The law is there to protect young girls from themselves and when somebody of 25 has a sexual relationship with a girl who is under age, the law says the maximum sentence is 14 years.

“Even where there is consent, the sentence should begin at four years in custody."

But after considering various reports and the fact that Carter had spent so long inside on remand, the judge made a community order for three years, including supervision and attendance on sex offender programmes.

In addition, Carter must sign on to the sex offenders' register for the next five years.