A man has been found guilty of attempting to meet a child for sex after getting caught in a 'paedophile hunter sting.'

Peter Byrd, 53, of Milton Street, Waltham Abbey, was convicted today (Thursday, May 16) after a trial Chelmsford Crown Court.

Byrd started chatting to a fake profile, known as a decoy, in late October 2017 where he was later arrested outside The Sun pub in Waltham Abbey by officers.

Essex Police was able to track Byrd down after receiving information from group Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) Interceptors.

The CSE Interceptors carry out stings in a bid to identify and bring offenders to justice.

He denied the offence but following a trial, the jury found Byrd guilty this after almost seven hours of deliberations.

The case has been adjourned for sentence on Thursday, May 30.