A TELEVISION showdown has taken place between a sex slave master and the father of his apprentice.

Following the revelation in The Northern Echo that Lee Thompson, from Darlington, is a master in the Kaotians sect, he has been inundated with TV offers.

Yesterday, Mr Thompson and his 18-year-old apprentice, Zachary Nicodemous, appeared on the Trisha Goddard Show on Channel 5.

Called "I've left my family...to join a cult", the show attempted to reconcile Zachary with his father, Tony.

But from the outset, the attempt seemed doomed to failure as security guards had to separate Mr Nicodemous and Mr Thompson as soon as they met on set.

Mr Nicodemous told Ms Goddard: "I'm hoping that Lee Thompson will make a decision to give him up.

"He's been grooming him for many, many months on the Internet to be a master.

"He says he's there of his own freewill, but his perceptions have been altered - it's called emotional enslavement."

Ian Haworth, from the Cult Information Centre, suggested Zachary should leave Mr Thompson for a few weeks and then decide whether he should return.

Ms Goddard also suggested the pair had counselling sessions together in an attempt to reunite them.

But Zachary rejected the overtures and threatened legal action if his father refused to leave him alone.

The 18-year-old chose to leave the studio with Mr Thompson. He said he would contact his parents when he was ready to do so.