Kieran Creaven, an sports producer with RTÉ, has pleaded guilty in an English court to charges of grooming and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Last month Creaven was lured to Leeds in the north of England by Predator Exposure, a group of vigilante pedophile hunters, who posed as a 13 year old girl online. They’d received a number of sexually explicit messages from the 55 year old and one even included a picture of his erect penis.

The group confronted him, streamed the encounter live in Facebook and called for the police.

Read More: RTE journalist charged in UK for sexual activity with 13-year-old

A nervous and confused Creaven told the group, “Listen, I’ll tell you what it is... Look I don’t have any kids and I wanted to be a father so I was trying to talk to someone…”

A man was arrested yesterday around 2000hrs yesterday. We can confirm he did arrive from Ireland yesterday morning to meet a girl aged 13years old.
He was a producer for a company and all we can say is despite what your job is WeWillExposeYou. #StayAwayFromKids

— Predator Exposure (@PredatorExposu1) November 20, 2017

Prosecutor Jill Seddon told a magistrate’s court in November: “He wished he could go to bed with her and wished he could cuddle her and he told her he felt horny.”

Creaven’s lawyer said his client only intended to meet up with the girl in a “fatherly and wholesome way”.

He denies that he intended to stay in a hotel with the fictional girl.

Judge Peter Collier QC said sentencing would take place on 18 February and told Creaven, “The fact that I am granting you bail and I’m asking for reports is no indication of what the sentence will be.”

Read More: Kieran Creaven, RTÉ Producer: What You Need to Know

Members of Predator Exposure were in Leed Crown Court’s public gallery and expressed delight with the guilty plea but concern that Creaven had been granted bail.

"If you've got a vicious dog and you know it's going to attack a child you're not going to bring that dog around the corner where it can attack another child,” group founder, Phil, told the Irish Independent. "This probably ain't his first time. He is a sexual predator and he should be remanded in custody.

"Even if he gets two hours' community service, everyone will know that he is a paedophile.”