A paedophile who groomed a girl with gifts including cigarettes before luring her to a hotel in Kenton where he raped her on her 12th birthday has been jailed.

Dragos Moisica, 27, from Edgware, showered his victim with attention and bought her presents while professing his love for her when she was just 11-years-old.

He enticed her back to the hotel where he had sex with her on her birthday.

The Romanian national was snared when his victim told a social worker she had sex with a man called ‘John’ on her birthday who she loved and he felt the same about her.

Yesterday at Harrow Crown Court he was jailed for 12 years after previously admitting sexual activity with a child under 16.

He was also convicted of rape and sexual assault on a child under 13.

Detective Constable Mike Penn, of the Sexual Offences, Exploitation and Child Abuse Command, said: “Moisica preyed on a vulnerable young girl, professing his love for her and showering her with attention, gifts, food and cigarettes.

“All the time he was plotting to have sex with her.

“A 12-year-old girl cannot legally consent to sex and it is only right Moisica will now serve a long period behind bars for rape.”

Moisica was acquitted of a further three counts of rape against a second victim, a 13-year-old girl.