A PERVERT caught by crime-fighters Dark Justice is facing jail after arranging meetings with who he believed were two 13-year-old girls.

Mark Thornton, 50, from Darlington, confessed to using the internet to chat explicitly - not realising who he was actually communicating with.

He is now behind bars on remand, and was told that he will be sentenced at Teesside Crown Court next month.

Judge Sean Morris asked for background reports to be prepared, but told Thornton: “That’s not an indication it will be anything other than a custodial sentence.”

Thornton pleaded guilty to two charges each of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, and attempting to meet a child for the purposes of sexual activity.

Tyneside-based paedophile-hunters Dark Justice posted a message on Facebook just yesterday detailing their successes.

The two unknown people behind it, say they set up accounts on social media sites posing as children, and wait for adults to contact them. They maintain they never talk explicitly, never approach anyone first, and only agree to meet once it has been suggested to them.

Since it was established in 2014, Dark Justice has led to 61 arrests and 27 convictions totalling more than 20 years.

Many other cases are still active - such as Thornton’s - with suspects either on police bail, waiting to go to court or to be sentenced.

Thornton was trapped in July after communicating with them online, suggesting what he would like them to do, and asking to meet.

He failed to turn up at the planned place - a car park in Darlington - but then began speaking to another supposed teenager just days later. He sent photographs of his face and his penis to the person behind the second on-line profile, and also arranged a meeting with them.

But Dark Justice had also invited along the police, and he was arrested, prosecutor Paul Anderson told magistrates at an earlier hearing.

Thornton, of Montrose Street, Darlington, was remanded into custody until sentencing on September 13.