A Southampton chef who abducted a 15-year-old girl and ran away to the Isle of Wight with her, sparking a huge police manhunt, has been jailed for 15 months.

Michael Britten, 33, admitted running off with the teenager in August last year.

The girl's mother pleaded for her to come home and police launched a desperate search for the pair before finding them on the island.

A court heard Britten, of Southampton, was seen on CCTV buying the teenager a ring from Cash Recycle in Newport, and they later spent the night at a hotel in nearby Shanklin.

He was also captured on CCTV camera kissing her on a bus.

Prosecutors accepted his defence that sexual activity between them amounted to no more than kissing.

Judge Nicholas Rowland described his actions as 'sexually motivated' and jailed Britten for 15 months after he admitted abducting a child.

Britten was also handed a 12-month sentence after admitting a charge of sexual activity with a child, namely kissing, and 12 months for admitting possessing indecent images of the girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons.

Daily Echo:

These sentences will run concurrently.

Southampton Crown Court also heard the girl moved out of her family home to live with a friend of her mother before the pair ran away.

Britten, who worked as a chef in Yates's pub in Southampton, was also lodging at the house.

Christopher Stopa, prosecuting, said: "On Friday, August 8, the pair travelled to the Isle of Wight and on Friday night they stayed with a friend of the defendant's brother.

"They then went to spend the following night at a hotel in Shanklin.

"He was arrested by police on the Sunday and she was taken back into care."

Peter Asteris, defending, said: "Mr Britten is now 33 years old and is someone with difficulties in learning.

"He found himself going down a road and started to panic when the situation became serious. He will never go down that road again."

Judge Nicholas Rowland said: "You kissed the girl as shown on the CCTV from the bus and you accept you shared a bed, which indicates there was a sexual motivation for the child abduction.

"You were 33 and she was 15 – she was troubled and remains a troubled child.

"You went away for three days and went to a hotel and shared a bed, which shows this child abduction was sexually motivated."

Judge Rowland also ordered Britten to sign a sexual harm prevention order for the next 10 years which prevents him being alone with a child under 16.