Bluewater shopping centre brawl as 'paedophile hunters' confront man in Kent

A brawl broke out at a Kent shopping centre after a group of self-styled "paedophile hunters" confronted a man suspected of grooming a 14-year-old girl.

In a video streamed live on their Facebook page, the group is seen approaching a 29-year-old man at the Bluewater Shopping Centre in Greenhithe.

"You're here to meet a child for sex, yeah?," one of the group is heard saying.

The man denies the accusations and says the girl in question had told him she was "18 plus".

Members of the group, dressed in black shirts, tell the man to stay still and wait for the police to come and arrest him, while questioning him over his nationality.

As the confrontation continues, a younger man in a red shirt attacks the man accused of grooming the girl, kicking him in the head and punching him while Bluewater security guards try to break up the fight.

Detective Chief Inspector Emma Banks, of Kent Police, said the man had been arrested on suspicion of grooming and officers were investigating the disturbance.

"Officers from Kent Police arrested a 29-year-old man from East London at Bluewater Shopping Centre on suspicion of grooming at 2.27pm on Sunday 16 April 2017," she said.

"I strongly discourage people taking the law into their own hands to avoid them and others including individuals which may have been wrongfully identified, being put in any danger," she added.

"Any acts of violence reported will always be fully investigated and enquiries into this incident are ongoing."