Mikael Meoni was caught by members of the Wolf Pack Hunters UK after he contacted two social media accounts he believed were operated by children.

Meoni, from Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, sent explicit sexual messages before arranging to meet up with a young girl at the capital’s Haymarket Station.

But when he arrived at the station he was confronted by the online paedo group who live streamed their confrontation on Facebook last January.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court. Pic: Ian Georgeson

British Transport Police were called in to deal with the disturbance and the vigilante group handed over Meoni’s mobile phone and the logs of messages he had sent.

Meoni admitted two charges of arranging to meet two youngsters with the intention of engaging in sexual activity with them when he appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court earlier this year.

He returned to the dock for sentencing today where he was placed on the sex offenders register for the next two years.

The 41-year-old pervert was also handed a two-year supervision order by Sheriff Donald Corke as an alternative to custody.

Not guilty pleas to sending images of his penis to the two online accounts were accepted by the Crown as part of a plea deal.

Previously the court heard a social media account belonging to a 13-year-old boy called Thomas from Glasgow was set up by the Wolf Pack Hunters in December 2017.

Prosecutor Sophie Hanlon said a profile named ‘Miki’ then contacted the fake account on December 12 and Meoni soon began sending “sexual messages to the adult posing as a child”.

The fiscal added Meoni made arrangements to meet up with ‘Thomas’ on two occasions but cancelled both dates at the last minute.

The pervert then contacted a second bogus online account who he believed belonged to a 14-year-old girl the following month and again sent sexual messages to her.

Ms Hanlon said during the chats Meoni admitted being 39 at the time and the adult operating the child’s account stated she was just aged 14.

Meoni made arrangements to meet up with the ‘schoolgirl’ on January 14 last year but when he arrived at the railway station he found he was part of a sting operation that was being live streamed over social media.

During a subsequent police interview Meoni admitted he had “been speaking to the young male and female” online but that he had been “stupid” in attempting to arrange meetings.

He told police: “I didn’t do anything to hurt anyone - I am sorry.”

Meoni admitted attempting to meet with an adult posing as a 13-year-old boy with the intention of engaging in sexual activity at his home address and elsewhere between December 10, 2017 and January 5 last year.

He also pleaded guilty to attempting to meet with an adult posing as a 14-year-old girl with the intention of engaging in sexual activity at his home address and elsewhere between January 11 and 13 last year.

To keep up-to-date with all our stories from across Edinburgh and the Lothians like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.

Sign up to our newsletter: enter your email in the box at the top of this article to get daily updates straight to your inbox.

Edinburgh pervert snared by paedophile hunters group after arranging to meet ‘schoolgirl’ for sex