Online groomer admits child sex offences after vigilante sting

Police investigated David Cardwell and found he was in possession of more than 1,000 prohibited images of children

A man caught in a vigilante sting trying to groom someone he thought was a child has admitted all four charges against him.

David Cardwell, 52, of Sunnyside Road, Weston-super-Mare pleaded guilty to three counts of an adult attempting to engage in a sexual communication with a child.

Cardwell also admitted possessing 1,214 prohibited images of children.

He appeared at Bristol Crown Court where sentencing will be held in June.

Cardwell was caught out by the group Justice for the Innocent after he tried to engage in sexual conversations with people purporting to be aged 13, 14 and 12 years old on three different occasions last year.

Cuddles in bed

The communication involved talking to the people he thought were children about sleepovers, cuddles in bed and kisses, the charge sheet stated.

The vigilante group said: "The evidence collected in this case demonstrated sexual grooming of a slow nature with months of chat logs collected."

He was arrested after being confronted by members of the group last year.

While vigilante groups have been criticised in the past by the police, the group maintains the police do not have time to catch such predators.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said it was "pleased" Cardwell admitted the offences but the force did not endorse activist groups.

"Protecting children from abuse is a top priority for every police force," the spokesperson added.

"More than 400 people are arrested in the UK every month for child sexual abuse and more than 500 children are protected from harm every month.

"While we will not work with these groups, we have a responsibility to investigate every allegation of abuse, no matter where or who it comes from."