A PAEDOPHILE described by a judge as “every child’s parent’s worst nightmare” was jailed after he was tricked into believing he was grooming young schoolgirls.

Lorry driver Graham Styles was set up by a child protection group who had duped him into thinking he was sexually exploiting underage girls.

Prosecutor Harry Baker said the paedophile hunters were posing as children aged between 12 and 14 as the 57-year-old defendant was lured into their trap.

Styles appeared at Cardiff Crown Court for sentence after pleading guilty to a number of grooming offences two months before his trial was due to start.

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He admitted seven counts of attempting to sexually communicate with a child and two of attempting a child to engage in sexual activity.

The paedophile hunter group’s decoy operation lasted between November 2017 and May 2018.

Styles had been in contact with ‘girls’ called Evie and Jodie and had sent out obscene pictures of himself as well as sexual instructions to them.

The court was told he had no previous convictions for similar offences.

James Evans, representing the defendant, said his client had never intended to meet his ‘victims’.

The court also heard how Styles had been working as a lorry driver who had found himself homeless and living in a tent.

Judge Daniel Williams told the defendant: “You are every child’s parent’s worst nightmare.”

He said the offending was so serious that only a prison sentence could be justified.

Styles was jailed for 18 months.

The defendant, of no fixed abode, was arrested by Gwent Police when he was staying in the Caerphilly area.

The initial offences were committed in the South-East of England.

Styles must also register as a sex offender for 10 years and he was made the subject of a sexual harm prevention order for the same period.