A wealthy Radlett businessman has been placed on the sex offenders' register after being sentenced for three child sex charges.

Ronak Thakrar, 33, of Craigweil Avenue, appeared at Southwark Crown Court on Friday.

He had spent six months grooming what he thought was a 14-year-old girl in an internet chatroom, but was in fact an undercover police officer working on an anti-paedophile operation.

advertisement Thakrar travelled from his home to a south London café where he hoped to meet his victim on December 7 last year. But when he arrived, police swooped to arrest him.

He had previously performed a live strip tease on a webcam for the imaginary youngster and sent her a lewd photo of himself.

Thakrar, who runs a consultancy service for blue chip companies, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of causing a child to watch a sexual image and one charge of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

He was also sentenced to a 36-month community order with supervision requirements, meaning he must join the Thames Valley Sexual Offenders Treatment programme.

The course is run by the probation service for men who have been convicted of any sexual offence, including those where no contact has been made with a victim, such as in Thakrar's case.

It aims to increase offenders' awareness of their behaviour and identify views and perceptions which have led to offending behaviour.

Thakrar must sign on the sex offenders' register for five years and was also handed a sex offender prevention order for five years.

Breaking of the order, which bans him from being alone with children, could lead to a five year jail sentence.