Shane Bushby spent 6 months in jail for trying to chat up 12yo girl on Facebook

A man, 31, spent six months, three weeks and six days in jail for calling a 12-year-old girl a “hottie” on Facebook and inviting her to go to the beach with him.

Shane Bushby spent six months in jail after calling a 12-year-old girl a "hottie" on Facebook and invited her to the beach. Picture: Facebook

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A man, 31, spent six months, three weeks and six days in jail for calling a 12-year-old girl a “hottie” on Facebook and inviting her to go to the beach with him some time.

Shane Bushby was convicted at Gosford District Court and sentenced to a year in jail after pleading guilty to using a carriage service to send indecent material to a person under 16.

Judge Tanya Bright said the man’s sentence must show a general deterrence to protect children from online predators.

It comes after he was granted bail on Monday for the first time since his arrest at The Entrance Police Station in December.

Bushby was granted bail on Monday. Picture: Facebook

Delivering her sentence the judge said while the “objective seriousness” of the offence was at the low range, it warranted nothing less than a term of full-time imprisonment.

The court heard Bushby, then aged 29, messaged a 12-year-old girl on Facebook and sent her a friend request in October 2017.

She accepted his request and received his message, which asked if she “could keep something between us?”.

He called a 12-year-old girl a "hottie" on Facebook and invited her to the beach. Picture: Facebook

The girl asked what it was and in an exchange of messages he told her he was 29 years old, that he thought she was a “hottie” and asked her for her mobile phone number.

The court heard he later asked the girl “could you come to the beach with me?” to which she replied “which beach? and he told her “any”.

He also told her “I don’t worry about your age”.

Bushby did not enter a plea in the Local Court and waited until the day of his District Court trial last week to plead guilty to the offence.

The court heard he had been given a number of good behaviour bonds over the years for four counts of destroying property, stalking or intimidating, contravening an apprehended violence order and resisting police.

Judge Bright sentenced him to a year in jail with a non-parole period of the time he had already served.

He was also ordered to enter into a bond, which expires at the end of his sentence on December 14.