This is the moment a paedophile hunting group confronted a pervert who thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl for sex. Astonishingly, rather than deny what he was doing, Luke Porter claimed that he didn't know that such an act would be illegal, only 'frowned upon'.
Porter, 18, had travelled to Darlington railway station for the meet-up with what he thought was a girl called Megan. He had been sending messages to her over Whatsapp. However, he was actually communicating with a member of vigilante group Newcastle Hunters.
When he got to the station, instead of finding 'Megan' he was confronted by the group, members of which filmed the exchange before calling police. Porter was arrested and later remanded into custody until his sentencing hearing last month, reports TeessideLive.
He was charged with and admitted to attempting to communicate with a child to engage in sexual activity. Teesside Crown Court heard how he had only turned 18 a matter of weeks before the incident occurred.
Paul Abrahams, prosecuting, told the court on April 21: "It's fair to say that the conversation turned to sexual matters relatively quickly. "There was then conversation arranging a meet at Darlington railway station.
"The defendant did indeed travel to the station to meet 'Megan' where he was then accosted by the group who were waiting for him there and identified him from a photograph he had sent. He was arrested by the police at 5pm on the January 25."
Footage of the encounter has been shared on the Newcastle Hunters Facebook group, where Porter tells the vigilantes he "doesn't know why he did it" and says he is sorry. He also initially claims that he didn't know it was illegal and thought it was just "frowned upon".
Sentencing Porter, of Beaumont Street West, to nine months in a young offenders' institute, suspended for two years, Judge Timothy Stead said: "While this is an offence involving the concept of a sexual offence against a child, there was no actual child in this case.
"Nevertheless, what you did was an offence because you believed you were communicating with a 14-year-old girl - a girl who was previously a stranger to you. In fact you were communicating with an adult but this was to bring about justice in a case such as yours, where someone like you is only too willing to engage in sexual offending with children."
Porter is now subject to a 10-year sexual harm prevention order. He has also been ordered to attend 25 rehabilitation requirement days.
