Suspected paedophile ‘bites finger off online hunter trying to capture him’ at Stevenage railway station

Police have arrested a suspected paedophile who allegedly bit off the finger tip of a vigilante trying to catch him in the act.

The man is said to have turned up at Stevenage railway station expecting to meet a child he had allegedly groomed online.

However, the ‘child’ was in fact a vigilante group known as Catching Online Predators, who arranged the meeting in the hope of exposing the suspected paedophile.

It was during the sting that the man is said to have bitten off the fingertip of a member of the group, according to the Comet.

British Transport Police said the man, of no fixed address, has been charged with attempting to meet a child under 16 years of age following grooming, common assault, assault by beating, a racially-aggravated public order offence, and causing GBH with intent.

A video of the incident was broadcast on the Catching Online Predators Facebook page.

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The group said in a statement about their injured member: ’It’s not looking good to save our hunters finger.’

They added that the member has since undergone surgery and had bone wired and other damage repaired.