A former bank worker who was arrested after a sting by vigilante paedophile hunters who set up a fake online profile of a 15-year-old girl has walked free from court after a judge decided not to send him straight to prison.

Kevin Laccohee arranged to meet the fictitious girl called “Amy” at Stowmarket railway station in October and when he arrived he was confronted by a group of people who blocked his car and called the police, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Richard Potts, prosecuting, said two self-styled paedophile hunters had set up fake online profiles in the names of “Amy” who was supposedly 18 and another girl who was 21.

Laccohee initially contacted the 21-year-old girl and despite being told she was only 15 he had arranged to meet her in Haughley.

Laccohee showed up at the meeting but hadn’t got out of his car and drove off without approaching a female who was waiting with one of the men who had set up the fake profiles.

He had then started communicating with “Amy” and arranged to meet her, said Mr Potts.

Laccohee, 38, of Mildenhall Road, Bury St Edmunds, admitted attempting to meet a child following grooming and was given a 12 month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and ordered to take part in a rehabilitation programme and to pay £500 costs.

Sentencing him, Judge John Devaux said although Laccohee initially thought he was communicating with an 18-year-old girl he was told during their conversations she was only 15.

He said the conversations had become sexual and Laccohee asked her for photos and offered to send her a semi-naked picture of himself.

Charlene Sumner for Laccohee said the defendant had been working in a bank but had now lost his job.

She said he suffered from depression and had been to see his GP at least three times before the offence.

She said Laccohee hadn’t deliberately set out to get sexual gratification by grooming children and had seen “Amy’s” profile on an adult dating site and only realised later on that she was only 15.