Southampton man jailed after 'paedophile hunter' sting

A man who was caught trying to meet a 14-year-old boy in a park for sex has been jailed.

Terry Roberts, 58, from Southampton, was held in a citizen's arrest by self-styled "paedophile hunter" Stephen Dure who had been posing as the boy online.

At Southampton Crown Court earlier, Roberts was jailed for 21 months.

He pleaded guilty to attempting to meet a child following grooming and also attempting to cause a child to watch an image of sexual activity.

Terry Roberts was jailed for 21 months

Dure is currently serving a 15-week jail sentence for falsely accusing another man of grooming teenagers.

Using the online name "Older For Younger", Roberts messaged what he believed was a 14-year-old boy in February using the Grindr app, the court heard.

The defendant sent a photo of himself lying naked on a bed, adding: "I'm happy to do whatever you want. I'll follow your lead."

Dure filmed himself performing a citizen's arrest on Roberts at Southampton Sports Centre the following day.

Stephen Dure, also known as Stevie Trap, featured in a regional edition of a BBC Inside Out programme in 2017

Sentencing Roberts, Judge Nicholas Rowland said: "You turned up with the intention frankly of having sex. You present a risk to children."

The judge said the defendant's elderly parents, who were being cared for by their son, would "suffer" as a result of the case.

He imposed an indefinite sexual harm prevention order and said Roberts should be registered as a sex offender for 10 years.

Dure's filmed confrontations with suspected paedophiles have been viewed millions of times on Facebook.

The campaigner, from Southampton and known to his online followers as Stevie Trap, is currently in jail for falsely accusing a man of grooming teenagers, the court heard.