TWO sexual predators have so far been trapped by an online vigilante group which calls itself Dark Justice and operates in the North-East.

They have been lured to the Millennium Bridge over the River Tyne where they expected to meet a 14-year-old girl. Instead, they were unmasked by two men who pretend to be teenage girls online in order to trap sexual predators.

Roger Lee, from Basingstoke, and John Rudd, from Stockton, have both pleaded guilty of grooming offences following a Dark Justice 'sting'.

Both perverts thought they were meeting a 14-year-old girl but were met by a 24-year-old man from Darlington, ‘Callum’, and a 21-year-old man from Newcastle, ‘Scott’.

‘Callum’ said: “When we catch them they understand that we are going to name and shame them.

“The way we do it gets a lot of attention because it has a bit of a rare factor.”

Rudd, 57, of Appleton Road, Stockton, believed he was meeting Donna, an underage teen after chatting to her on online dating website Badoo.

He initially thought the profile belonged to an adult woman but continued having sexual conversations when he was told she was underage.

Newcastle Crown Court heard he could not resist the chance to meet up when she told him her mother was away.

But the meeting was in fact a trap and police arrested him before a file was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Rudd, who is currently on bail, admitted attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming and will be sentenced in the week beginning March 23.

He is not the first sexual predator to be unmasked by Dark Justice.

Earlier this year, convicted sex offender Roger Lee admitted travelling more than 300 miles to try to meet up with a 14-year-old girl.

The 45-year-old, who previously got a 12-year-old pregnant and was branded a danger to children, thought he was chatting to a teenage girl called Rebecca over the internet.

He sent naked pictures of himself and reportedly ‘could not get to Newcastle fast enough’ after being told the girl was home alone.

 

 

He was filmed arriving for the meeting and the footage was passed to police who pressed charges, which led to a two year and four month prison sentence after he admitted attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

‘Callum’ said: “I find the fact that he impregnated a 12-year-old girl back in the 90s disgusting.

“People like him make what we do all the more important.

“If he was brave enough to turn up all the way from Basingstoke, thinking he was meeting a 14-year-old girl he would not have taken ‘no’ for an answer, he would have got what he wanted.”

And he issued a chilling warning to other perverts trying to meet underage girls: "They prey on children, we prey on them."