UK pedophile hunters set up man who thinks he is meeting underage boy
A charity worker in the UK who was caught by a group tracking down pedophiles in the community admitted his guilt to police, saying: 'I'm bloody stupid".
David Walker-Shears, 58, thought he was messaging a 15-year-old boy for sex - but he was actually messaging Guardians of the North, who had set up a fake Grindr profile.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that Walker-Shears had messaged the person he believed to be a boy, saying: "I want you in my bed so much", Metro UK has reported.
Prosecutor Lee Fish said: "The conversation that followed between the defendant and ‘Ryan’, in inverted commas, very swiftly moved towards a sexual manner.
"Very early in the conversation it was made very clear that ‘Ryan’ was 15 years old."
Mr Walker-Shears, who had a long-term partner, sent the fake profile a picture of his genitals and arranged to meet the boy for sex.
Instead, he was caught on camera by Guardians of the North.
When he declined legal representation and was asked why, he told police: "Because I'm bloody guilty".
Mr Walker-Shears pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to incite a child under the age of 16 in sexual activity.
He was handed a three-year community order, given a sexual harm prevention order and his name has been added to the sex offenders register for 10 years.
In sentencing, Judge Tim Gittins said: "It is tragic to see a man who has worked hard to come before the court at that age for something of this gravity".
