A Dorset man who drove 150 miles to bathe with a 14-year-old girl admitted he was "f****d up" after being confronted by a group of vigilante paedophile hunters.

The suspect made the journey from the south coast thinking he was going to meet the teenager after striking up an online relationship.

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The father-of-three bought condoms and sent explicit photos to the girl whom he arranged to meet and share a bath with. However, after arriving at a McDonald's car park in Hereford he was confronted by a group who had taken the law into their own hands to snare him.

In a 20-minute video uploaded to Facebook, one of the men says: "There's no 14-year-old girl. Me. You were talking to me, mate."

The man said he only wanted to talk to the girl and "Mate, I'm f ****d up. I've got a lot of problems at the moment."

DCI Jon Roberts of West Mercia police said: "A 24-year-old man from Dorset has been arrested on suspicion of attempting to meet a girl under 16 years of age following grooming. He has been released on police bail until April.

"While we understand that this is a very emotive subject, the police do not encourage members of the public to pursue their own investigations. This can compromise ongoing police investigations. Identifying alleged paedophiles is best left to the police who can ensure vulnerable victims are protected."

Vigilante groups in the UK have been responsible for securing some high profile prosecutions of paedophiles sparking debate on whether police forces should seek closer links with them.

UK crime