RTE producer admits trying to groom a ‘child’ for sex pervert caught by vigilante paedophile hunters
Predator Exposure members outside court in Leeds AN RTE sports producer caught by vigilante paedophile hunters pleaded guilty to child sex offences yesterday.
Sicko Kieran Creaven admitted a charge of attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 after grooming her.
The 55-year-old also pleaded guilty to a second offence of attempting to cause or incite a child aged 13 to 15 to engage in sexual activity.
The charges relate to a period between July 1 and November 18 this year when Creaven travelled to West Yorkshire with the intention of committing the crimes in a city centre hotel.
Leeds Magistrates Court had heard at a previous hearing the Montrose worker, from Dublin, engaged in “prolonged” online conversation with a “girl” he believed was just 13 and whom he groomed through Facebook messages.
The account was fake and was set up by group Predator Exposure, who cornered him outside the Queens Hotel in Leeds on November 18 where he was expecting to meet the girl.
The online conversation was described as “prolonged” by the prosecution and began in July, ending in November.
The girl repeatedly defendant she was 13.
Creaven sent her a picture of his penis and the child told him she had never seen one before.
The defendant also said he wanted to “kiss and cuddle” her.
Creaven told police he fully accepted messaging the fake profile but said he meant it in a fatherly way.
He also told officers he wanted told the to take the girl to the Leeds Christmas markets or to have something to eat and listen to music with her.
This was disputed by the paedophile hunter group, which instead said Creaven had planned to take the girl to a Leeds United football match the following morning and had brought the tickets to the hotel.
He had originally arranged to meet the youngster in October but cancelled after he became ill.
On November 18 he went to the hotel believing he was meeting the 13-year-old.
But he was met by the vigilantes and later arrested by police after the group streamed the meeting on Facebook live – with more than 5,000 people viewing it.
The defendant had no previous convictions.
Around 10 members of the Leeds-based Predator Exposure group attended the city’s Crown Court yesterday to hear Creaven plead guilty to the charges during the 10-minute hearing.
The accused was given bail on the conditions he has no unsupervised access with children under the age of 16 and must surrender all internet-enabled devices if requested to do so by police.
He will be sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on February 12.
After the hearing members of the group followed Creaven as he left court, shouting and questioning him.
Speaking after the case, one member, Phil, said: “It’s the right result, you don’t get a better result.
“The evidence we have on him, he knows himself that he’s bang to rights.”
He added Creaven had given them a false name.
Phil said: “He admitted what he was doing but it wasn’t for sex and all that.
“But, sorry, you don’t fly over here from Ireland to come and meet a 13-yearold child.
“He obviously was a bit panicky but we told him we’re not here to harm you, we’re here to protect you.
“Once we have done the sting we have a duty of care to make sure we protect him at all costs.”
When questioned whether this should have been a job for detectives, Phil said: “If this was a job for the police I’m sorry to say this man would never have been caught.”
You don’t fly over from Ireland to meet a 13-year-old child
PREDATOR EXPOSURE
LEEDS YESTERDAY