A man who thought he had been communicating sexually with a teenage girl had in fact been "trapped" by a gang of paedophile hunters, a court has heard.

Samuel Bellerby, 26, messaged a person on social media who he thought had been a 12-year-old girl and had made arrangements to meet up with her on several occasions, includng at Chapelfield Gardens in September last year.

Eastern Daily Press: Chapelfield GardensChapelfield Gardens (Image: Newsquest)

Norwich Crown Court heard the girl was in fact a female member of a paedophile hunter group who had doctored her picture and profile to make it look as if she was younger.

Chris Youell, prosecuting, said Bellerby was "essentially trapped" by the woman, pretending to be the girl, who Bellerby had requested to meet "multiple times".

Although he had arranged to meet up, Bellerby never actually went through with a physical meeting but in September last year there had been a plan to meet at Chapelfield Gardens.

The court heard Bellerby did not go through with it but the paedophile hunters caught up with him at a pool club on Magdalen Street.

Police were called and Bellerby was arrested and had his phone seized.

Bellerby, of Jewson Road, Norwich, appeared at court to be sentenced having admitted attempting to sexually communicate with a girl under 16.

He also admitted to three counts of making indecent images of children, one being Category A, the most serious, with another Category B and Category C image.

Laura Kenyon, mitigating, said Bellerby was "addicted or overly preoccupied with sexual matters".

Bellerby had engaged with sex addicts anonymous for the past eight months which she said was "not a flash in the pan reaction to being arrested" but to "better himself".

Recorder John Hardy imposed a two-year community order, including 30 days' Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) and 120 hours of unpaid work.

Bellerby was also ordered to pay £500 costs and was put on the sex offenders register and given a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) also for five years.