A MAN turned up to meet a teenage girl for sex, but was instead met by paedophile hunters.

Darren Heywood, 46, thought he was communicating with a 13-year-old called Becka Johnson and travelled to meet her.

But the fake Facebook account had been set up by Guardians of the North in an attempt to snare paedophiles.

Durham Crown Court heard how Heywood messaged “Becka” to say she was his “special girl”, but told her to keep it secret.

David Lamb, prosecuting, told the court that Heywood told the girl he would love to be the first person to make love to her.

Mr Lamb said: “He went on to ask if she had ever had sex before and asked her if she would ever sleep with an older man. He indicated to her that he would show her every sexual position possible and treat her like a woman, calling her his sexy baby and that she has one sexy little body.”

Mr Lamb told the court how Heywood arranged to meet the girl in January, 16 days after he had started communicating to her.

He travelled by train from his home in Stockton to Seaham, but after arriving was confronted at the station by members of Guardians of the North.

He ran away, but was detained by them and later arrested by police.

Mr Lamb said: “He agreed, following suggestions from the police, he called her ‘babe’, ‘gorgeous’ and ‘sexy’. His explanation for that at the time was he was just being polite.”

Heywood said he travelled to meet the girl as he didn’t believe the account to be genuine, but curiosity had got the better of him and he found it to be exciting.

Mr Lamb said: “He said he made a mistake and should not have behaved in the way that he did.”

Heywood, of Azalea Road, Stockton on Tees, admitted attempting to meet a child under 16, following grooming. Maria Temkow, defending, told the court Heywood married young and was the victim in a violent relationship.

At the time of the offence he had been living alone in shared accommodation.

Ms Temkow said: “He’s very remorseful, this was out of character for him. Although his explanation was unusual, he did accept his contact in these matters and does understand that is wrong”.

She added: “He says he was in a dark place, he was taking some drugs.”

Judge Christopher Prince said he did not accept that Heywood was remorseful and added: “You engaged in a period of 16 days attempting to arrange a meeting and have sex with what you believed to be a 13-year-old. How can you express remorse if you don’t admit there is sexual motivation behind this offending?”

Judge Prince jailed Heywood for 16 months and put him on the sex offenders’ register for ten years.