THIS is the moment a Worcester man was confronted by online crime fighter Stinson Hunter.

James Turner appeared at Worcester Crown Court this week where he admitted attempting to incite a girl of 14 to engage in sexual activity.

After initially contacting her online, Turner, aged 46, sent the girl dozens of messages and asked her to send him a sexual image of herself, Worcester Crown Court heard.

However, the ‘girl’ was actually the self-styled paedophile hunter Stinson Hunter, who passed details onto West Mercia Police and set the wheels of justice in motion.

Mr Hunter and his team use clandestine methods to catch potential sex offenders.

They create fake online profiles and pose as underage teens, before luring their ‘subjects’ to a meeting and filming them.

At no point in any of his messages did Turner ever question the girl’s age, and she made it clear that she was sexually inexperienced.

In one sick message he told her that “regular fun sounds good”, despite believing her to be just 14.

Turner had arranged to meet the girl near a fountain in Nuneaton where he believed she lived, but instead he was confronted by Mr Hunter and his team, who filmed the encounter.

When confronted by Mr Hunter, Turner claimed he thought the whole thing “was a wind up”.

In a series of messages Turner, who described himself as the managing director of a health supplement company, befriended the ‘girl’ before arranging to meet up in Nuneaton.

The pair exchange numerous messages in which she talks about going to school as well as living with her parents.

But Turner, of Grayling Close, Broomhall, turns the conversation to sex, asking her about her experiences with boyfriends and asking her to send him ‘sexy’ photos of herself.

In one message he promises to be ‘gentle’ with her and talks about using contraception.

Mr Hunter said Turner’s admission of guilt was a justification for his undercover methods, but his aim was not to get people sentenced.

Instead, he explained that he wants to raise public awareness of online impropriety.

Mr Hunter, aged 33, said: “This guy confirms and proves that what I’m doing is right.

“If people are talking about me then they’re talking about an issue.”

Mr Hunter, who used to live in Nuneaton but has recently moved to Preston, has seen his public profile increase dramatically since featuring in a Channel 4 documentary last year.

“[Turner] is a prime example of a guy that I would suggest is from a nice background,” he said after Turner’s court appearance on Wednesday.

“That’s an example of who these people are, it’s not just your stereotypical greasy, dirty paedophile.

“His attitude was disgusting - at one point he laughed.”

He added: “I just want the whole world to realise that this is an issue and the Government are ignoring it.

“It’s not to get people locked up, it’s to get people talking, to raise awareness and hopefully get people to look at a serious issue.

“I want to get into schools, talk to parents and kids and work with them about online safety.

“I want to reach both parents and kids and hopefully change something.”

Mr Hunter, who has been criticised for his ‘stings’ in the past by police, says in the past two years he has achieved 18 convictions, compared to six by police.

During the court case, Lynette McClement, defending, said Turner was a man of “good character” and profiles on the website were supposed to be opened only by people aged 17 or over.

But she admitted that, at a “critical stage” of his conversation with the girl, he should have realised she was a child.

Recorder Denis Desmond adjourned sentencing until Friday, February 27 for reports.