A 77-year-old man was caught by a paedophile hunter group after driving two hours to Leeds to meet what he thought was a 13-year-old girl.

Malcolm Allwood, from Burton-on-Trent, spent months grooming the "girl" online, telling her he wanted to take her to his caravan and back to his home.

The Yorkshire Predator Hunters had set up the decoy profile and livestreamed the confrontation after Allwood arrived at McDonald's in Hunslet.

Allwood appeared at Leeds Crown Court this week where he admitted attempting to meet a child following grooming and attempting to engage a child in sexual communication.

The court heard that Allwood contacted the fake profile in December 2022, with the supposed girl telling him she was just 13. He bombarded her with messages, calling her "gorgeous" and sending her photos of himself with his top off.

He would repeatedly ask her about sex education and what she was wearing in bed. He also said he would massage her and take her away in his caravan or abroad.

In April 2023, he suggested they meet for food and that she should stay at his address. On April 21, he travelled 85 miles to the McDonald's, where he was detained by the hunter group and arrested.

Allwood gave a no-comment interview to officers. In mitigation, his lawyer said he had no previous convictions and pleaded guilty at an early opportunity.

"He is not able to explain how this all arose. Thankfully, it was not a 13-year-old girl," the lawyer said.

Judge Tahir Khan KC sentenced Allwood to 12 months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He also gave him 40 rehabilitation days, put him on the sex offender register for 10 years and handed him a 10-year sexual harm prevention order (SHPO) to limit his internet use.