A MAN has pleaded guilty to sending explicit messages to a 14-year-old after he was caught by paedophile hunters.

Tony Morriss, also known as Tony Lamport, was arrested by police last Thursday outside Basingstoke Hospital, by paedophile hunters working under the SKO - Safeguarding Kids Online banner.

"A decoy person from a paedophile hunter group set themself up online. Sexual images was sent (to them)," said prosecuter David Fossler at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court.

"Arrangements were made for Mr Morriss to meet the 14-year-old. He turned up and the decoys turned up."

In the following confrontation, which lasted over 30 minutes and was live streamed on Facebook, Morriss said the conversation was "a joke", adding: "I wouldn't have actually done anything."

It was also said in the video that Morriss had told the girl that he would take her into the woods, rape her and sexually assault her.

He also said that he has "messaged loads of girls, young girls and asked them to meet me but I've never actually met them."

District Judge Pattinson remanded Morriss into custody until he appears at Winchester Crown Court on November 20 for sentencing.