THIS is the moment a paedophile was snared by a North-East vigilante group targeting online perverts calling themselves Dark Justice.

John Rudd, 57, travelled across the North-East after he was tricked into thinking he was to meet a 14-year-old girl.

But in reality it was a trap laid by Dark Justice, two young men from the region who have taken it upon themselves to catch sex offenders.

- "You prey on children, we prey on you' - the North-East paedophile hunters

The Northern Echo can reveal that one of the vigilantes is from Darlington and the other from Newcastle.

They told The Northern Echo last night that this was only the beginning of their campaign to help bring paedophiles to justice.

Newcastle Crown Court was told Rudd arrived at the nearby Millennium Bridge over the River Tyne to be confronted by the pair with a video camera.

Footage shows he was shocked to be greeted by two men, who told him police had been informed of his online activity, instead of a teenage girl.

Rudd, of Appleton Road, Stockton, thought he had been having conversations of a sexual nature with an underage girl called Donna after meeting on an 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, the court heard.


He admitted attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming when he appeared at Newcastle Crown Court last month.

He appeared in court again this morning and his sentencing was postponed until later this month.