Praju Prasad, 24, had been talking to who he thought was a youngster on social media (Picture: North News)

A man fell to his knees and begged paedophile hunters to let him go after he was snared attempting to meet up with what he thought was a 12-year-old girl.

Praju Prasad, 24, had been talking to who he thought was a youngster on social media and arranged to meet her at a train station this week.

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But he was instead met by members of Guardians of the North, an undercover organisation who catch men who are trying to meet children for sex.

The police were called and Prasad was arrested and charged with attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 after grooming.




Before the officers arrived, he got down on his knees and repeatedly begged the group to leave him alone.

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He was instead met by members of Guardians of the North (Picture: North News)

Prasad was arrested and charged with attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 (Picture: North News)

At Newcastle Crown Court this week Prasad, of Bell Street, North Shields, was handed nine month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and a £140 fine after previously pleading guilty.

He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders register for five years.

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Prasad had originally attempted to book a hotel for himself and the ‘girl’.

But when he was told none of them would accommodate a man and a child he instead arranged a meeting at North Shields Metro Station.

There he was met by members of the group who filmed themselves confronting him with the words: ‘You are here to meet a 12-year-old girl for sex.’

He was ordered to sign the sex offenders register for five years (Picture: North News)

‘You are here to meet a 12-year-old girl for sex.’ (Picture: North News)

He cried when he was caught by the hunters (Picture: North News)

Before the officers arrived, he got down on his knees and repeatedly begged the group to leave him alone (Picture: North News)

Prasad then repeatedly begs for mercy as he kneels on the floor and grabs the legs of a group member.

He says: ‘Please, leave me alone. Please, I beg you. Please, I beg you.’

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Speaking after the case a member of Guardians of the North said: ‘This highlights the important work that we do.

‘If this man hadn’t been caught by us then he could well have gone on to abuse an actual child.

‘We are not happy with the sentence. We believe that judges need to be tougher as this kind of offending needs to be stamped out before more serious crimes are committed.’

Guardians of the North, set up just over a year ago, pose as teen girls and boys online to snare men looking to meet youngsters for sex.

They have so far apprehended 117 potential paedophiles and seen around 30 convicted.