Man avoids jail after being snared by vigilante peado hunting group

A man snared by a vigilante group after travelling 200 miles to meet a 14-year-old girl has avoided jail.

Alexander Elliott arrived at a Greggs branch in Glasgow's George Square expecting a teenager called "Poppy" to turn up.

The 45 year-old had come from Elgin in Moray with a packet of condoms on him.

But, instead, Elliott was confronted by members of the Wolfpack Hunters group who altered police.

Sheriff Martin Jones at Glasgow Sheriff Court ordered Elliott to be supervised for three years.

He was also put on the sex offenders list.

Elliott had earlier admitted contacting who he believed was a 14 year-old girl and sending indecent images online.

He had been in touch with "Poppy" via WhatsApp and another app called Waplog.

Elliott passed on his phone number - despite being told he was chatting to an apparently underage girl.

He said at one point: "I think you look pretty."

Elliott asked for photos to be sent and claimed "Poppy" was his girlfriend - but that she should not tell her mum.

He went to arrange the meeting at Greggs.

Elliott was then faced by the Wolfpack Hunters Group as he sat on a bench nearby.

Prosecutor Richard Hill said: “They confronted Elliott in George Square.

"He said he was there to meet a friend adding he was in love with her.”

Elliott was arrested later that afternoon.

Police went on to find he had condoms and two mobile phones on him.