A 20-year-old who was tricked into believing he was meeting a young girl for sex has walked free after a judge said custody would be “very negative for him”.

Carl Hastings fell into a trap laid by a paedophile vigilante group and started contacting a girl he believed was 15 online.

He was arrested after he travelled to Bluewater from his home in Hertfordshire.

Judge Charles Macdonald called it “a wicked and dangerous offence”, but suspended a youth custody sentence.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Jason Collier of the paedophile hunter group set up online accounts for a fictional girl called Emily, including a stock image from the internet.

“He didn’t go looking for people to make contact,” said prosecutor Martin Yale. “He left the account to see if anyone contacted it.”

Hastings did so on February 27 last year and soon made sexual comments.

“Emily” told him she was 15, but he still sent her indecent photos of himself and a video clip of him performing a sex act.

Mr Yale said Mr Collier received messages from Hastings on a daily basis and became very persistent if he did not receive a reply.

On March 21 last year he asked to meet at London Bridge, but was told the furthest she would go was to Bluewater.

That evening he went to the shopping centre. En route, Mr Collier asked him to send a photo of himself so that he would recognise him.

He saw Hastings outside Marks & Spencer and asked what he was doing. He replied that he was meeting Emily.

“Mr Collier showed him a printout of the conversations they had and said the police were on their way,” said Mr Yale. “Mr Collier and friends detained Mr Hastings until the police arrived.”

Hastings admitted he believed the girl was 15 but said he could not stop himself.

He added that he expected “a kiss and a cuddle and a bit of touching”.

Hastings, of Kings Close, Chipperfield, Kings Langley, Herfordshire, admitted attempting to meeting a child following grooming.

He was sentenced to almost 11 months youth custody suspended for 18 months, with a rehabilitation activity requirement for 40 days. He will also have to complete 200 hours unpaid work.