Paedophile travelled 136 miles to meet underage teen for sex.

A paedophile was arrested after arranging to meet a 14-year-old boy at a hotel for sex, only to find that the boy was actually a decoy set up by a paedophile hunter group.

Connor Nevison, 23, from Morecambe, Lancashire, travelled 136 miles to meet the "boy" in Long Eaton, Derbyshire, on August 10, 2022. He had previously groomed the teenager online, suggesting they shower and sleep naked together.

Upon arriving at the hotel car park, Nevison was met by members of the paedophile hunter group who had set up the decoy account. They confronted him before calling the police, who arrested him.

Nevison was found to have condoms in his suitcase. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison at Derby Crown Court.

Judge Shaun Smith KC said: "You were aware the boy was 14 and you arranged to meet him and when you went there to meet him you had condoms in your suitcase. This is a grooming offence and your criminality is in the lead-up to the offence and not what you had when you were arrested."

The prosecution stated that Nevison began messaging the decoy account, created by a paedophile hunter from Nottingham, shortly after it was set up. He quickly established that the "boy" was 14 years old.

Nevison, who had previously been convicted of attempted sexual assault and voyeurism, pleaded guilty to attempting to sexually communicate with a child and attempting to meet a child following grooming.

In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Smith handed Nevison a 10-year sexual harm prevention order and placed him on the sex offender register for 10 years.

The defense argued that Nevison was suffering from mental health problems at the time of the offending.