London, Oct 4

As many as 10 men have been awarded 34 years of jail-term in total for sexually abusing a teenaged girl who wished to enjoy being in a romantic relationship with someone and thus posted a profile on a dating website.

The girl, 13, from North Yorkshire, had made the dating profile, on which she claimed to be 18, because she was looking for a romantic relationship. But the men who responded were only interested in sex, the Daily Mail reported.

Dozens of men contacted the teenager after reading her details online. While many broke off contact when they discovered her true age, others continued to pursue her for sex, Daily Mail reported. The paedophiles ranged in age from 20 to 45, with one 14-year-old boy also implicated.

The girl's mother suspected something being fishy after the girl got lost on her way home, and she examined her daughter's mobile phone. She found many highly sexual text messages and pictures on that cellphone and handed it to officers. They used it and other evidence to track down the suspects.

A total of 30 suspects from different parts of the country, none of whom knew each other, committed offences against the teenager, including having sex with her and persuading her to send explicit pictures of themselves.

The girl, left mentally scarred by her experiences, is presently receiving intensive professional help.

By:IANS