Man attacked by vigilantes admits grooming underage girl
A man attacked and filmed by alleged vigilante paedophile hunters has admitted in court that he groomed an underage girl.
Andrew O’Neill, 25, was beaten up in public after making contact on a dating website with a “girl” called Alex, Wigan magistrates court heard.
But after booking a hotel room and turning up to meet the girl in Wigan on Saturday afternoon, he was confronted by a number of men and attacked.
Concerned shoppers witnessed the assault on Market Place in the town centre as O’Neill was headbutted and lost two front teeth. Other members of the group filmed the incident. He escaped and reported the assault to the police.