Scott Hopkin was caught by a self-styled ‘paedophile hunter’ group in an online sting after they pretended to be a 14-year-old boy.
The defendant, Scott Hopkin, of Thornton-Cleveleys, engaged in sex chat with a ‘vigilante’ called Mr Dixon over the social networking site Grindr believing he was called ‘Luke’.
During the ‘flirty and overly-friendly’ conversations the defendant, using the name ‘Scotty’, said he “would like to get to know you better if I can”.
He asked to meet Luke in person in Blackpool and told him they would ‘take it slow by kissing and cuddling’.
Mr Dixon set up Grindr and Facebook accounts under the name Luke and used a picture of a boy.
He was first contacted by Scott Hopkin on November 30 last year and Mr Lodge said their conversation ‘started innocently enough’.
Scott Hopkin then said he “would like to get to know you better if i can” and the conversation turned ‘flirty and overly-friendly’.
He made contact with Luke using a different username and they agreed to meet two days later outside a Blackpool pub.
Scott Hopkin was met there by Mr Dixon and a number of his paedophile hunter colleagues before police arrived and arrested him.
Scott Hopkin, of Broadway, Thornton-Cleveleys, pleaded guilty at an earlier magistrates hearing to attempting to meet a 14-year-old boy following grooming.
He was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years with a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
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