A Mitcham man in his 20s has been arrested after being confronted by a team of 'paedophile hunters.'

Police were called by The Innocent Voices Team, to an address in Hertfordshire at around 8pm on July 1.

The man, thought to be from the Pollards Hill area, was arrested on suspicion of enticing a child to engage in sexual activity.

Innocent Voices claim the man contacted two of their decoy profiles which acted as children aged 13 and 14.

The team say he was aware of their ages 'immediately' and references to their ages were made throughout the conversations.

The man reportedly approached one of the decoy profiles back in 2019 and then again in March 2020.

Wimbledon Times:

Innocent Voices say he was "grooming them to trust him and then turned the conversations into a sexual nature."

The team went on to further claim he wanted the children to send him indecent images and attempted to 'entice them' into sexual activity.

Innocent Voices said they had become concerned after hearing reports of him working with children - so set up another decoy profile, of a 21-year-old woman to catch him 'quicker'.

The team said he asked the decoy for a date 'very quickly' and took the opportunity to get him away from his address.

It was then that they arranged to meet the suspect near Hemel Hempstead train station at The Mallard Harvester restaurant, on July 1.

Wimbledon Times:

The team then confronted the suspect, who denied their allegations, however, later appeared to admit to receiving indecent images from children.

In video footage, the suspect said he had received indecent images but claimed they couldn't be retrieved as they had been deleted and were on his 'broken phone'.

The suspect then went on to say that the team "couldn't prove anything."

Innocent Voices then asked the suspect, 'do you know what this can do to a child?' to which the suspect responded - "It can destroy them."

The Innocent Voices Team then went on to ask him why he talks to children, to which he responded: "because I am ill."

He added: "I wouldn't harm any child, I would never physically harm someone.

Wimbledon Times:

"I have a split personality, I don't know what's wrong with me.

"I don't have an attraction to children."

Innocent Voices also claim he told the decoy profiles that he would kill himself to manipulate them into sending indecent images.

Speaking on one conversation, the group said he asked the child decoys whether they trusted him and reportedly told them to only send photos to him.

A spokesperson for Met Police said: "On the night of Tuesday, June 30, officers from Hertfordshire police arrested a man in his 20s from Merton.

"He was arrested on suspicion of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.

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"The matter will be investigated by officers from the Met's South West Command Unit.

"The man arrested has now been transported from Hertfordshire and is currently in custody at a south London police station.

"The MPS does not support activities by individuals or groups to target suspected paedophiles."

A spokesperson for Innocent Voices Team said: "We expose for awareness and will continue to do this until the justice system actually gives correct sentences that are worthy of the crime.

"It is a great relief when we have stopped a predator contacting children.

"However, there is always a downside as the whirlwind it causes with the family and friends of the predator can be at times heartbreaking."

Met Police added: "Our advice to anyone who has concerns about online grooming, is they should report them to their local police, or to Crimestoppers.

"If you think a child is at immediate risk of harm call 999."