AN EX-Kidderminster fireman has been jailed for seven years for having sex with an underage girl who became pregnant.

Father-of-four Edward Bainbridge "groomed" the girl into having a relationship with him when she was 14 and 15 and he was in his 30s, Worcester Crown Court was told.

He told her he loved her and she became pregnant with his child, which she had terminated, a jury heard at his trial.

She realised the relationship was going nowhere and wanted to start again without him so she told police.

A jury found the 35-year-old, of Harriers Green, Kidderminster, guilty after a trial in June of seven charges of sexual activity with a child, including sexual intercourse, during 2011. Judge Abbas Mithani, QC, adjourned sentence and granted Bainbridge bail so that he could explain the circumstances personally to his young children.

Medhu Rai told the sentencing hearing there had been elements of "planning and grooming" and Bainbridge would make arrangements for the girl to leave school to have sex in his flat or in his car.

The jury was told that part of the evidence of grooming was a signed love letter which he denied sending. It had been torn up but was jigsawed back together by police handwriting and forensic experts.

Abigail Nixon, mitigating, said Bainbridge had ended his career.

"He was a fireman at the time of the offences but he has lost his job and he will not be a fireman again," she said.

He was known as a "hard-working, trustworthy family man" who was more concerned about the effect his prison sentence would have on his family.

Judge Mithani said the offences were "appalling" and Bainbridge had shown no remorse.

"You knew she was under 16 and sexual activity was unlawful but you carried on. You were not an immature young man. You had children of your own," he told Bainbridge. "Although she agreed, her age made her consent completely invalid."

He said this type of "predatory behaviour" was likely to cause the girl psychological damage in the future.

He gave Bainbridge a total of seven years in jail. He was also made subject to a sexual harm prevention order and will have to register as a sex offender indefinitely.