Judge says young girl 'welcomed' pedophile

MANCHESTER, England, May 9 (UPI) -- A British man who had sexual relations with an 11-year-old girl avoided prison when the judge decided she "welcomed" the man's flirtations.

Judge Robert Atherton prompted an angry response when he ruled in Manchester Crown Court the girl had encouraged Jon Dixon's molestation because she possessed a "sexual awareness" that could cause a person in their 20s to blush, The Daily Mail reported.

It is reported Atherton turned down a claim made by the probation service that Dixon, 20, of Eccles, England, created a "high risk of serious harm to children."

The 20-year-old pleaded has guilty to meeting a child following sexual grooming, sexual assault of a child and attempted rape.

Dixon and the girl met last February in an online chat room where they exchanged provocative messages, the Times said.

Dixon reportedly sexually assaulted the girl March 15 when he was spending time with her during her school lunch break. It is alleged that two days later he made an unsuccessful attempt to sexually assault her in an alley.