A 41-year-old man was caught by a paedophile hunter group after arranging to meet a "13-year-old boy" at a theme park.

Matthew Parker, a former Red Funnel ferry officer, was arrested after sending messages to a profile created by Child Safe UK, a group that targets online predators.

Parker, who had stated in his Grindr profile that he was "only into young guys", sent messages to the fake profile expressing his desire to "kiss, cuddle and hold hands" with the "boy".

The conversation later moved to Kik Messenger, where Parker continued to send inappropriate messages. He arranged to meet the "boy" at Thorpe Park and even purchased tickets for both of them.

Parker pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to facilitate a sexual offence against a child and was sentenced to a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to complete 55 days of rehabilitation activity requirement, pay £600 in court costs and made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order.

Judge Gary Burrell QC highlighted the unusual nature of Parker's case, stating that he didn't attempt to promote sexual messages or request explicit pictures. Despite this, the judge deemed his actions serious enough to warrant a suspended sentence.

Parker has since undergone counselling sessions following his arrest.

A Red Funnel spokesperson confirmed that Parker left the company in October 2018 and stated that the court ruling against him doesn't relate to his employment at the company. They declined to provide further comment due to legal and data protection reasons.