The defendant told officers he believed he was initially talking online to a 19-year-old.

But he later admitted to knowing the teenager was really only 14.

Handing him a two-year community order, Recorder Michael Auty KC said: “What you need to understand is that society is geared towards protecting its children and what is abhorrent to society is anyone who seeks to damage the physical, emotional or sexual welfare of people under the age of consent. They are vulnerable and very often they don’t realise quite how vulnerable they are.

“What might seem to you to be perfectly harmless can cause incurable damage to them but this was not a real child it was a decoy and your position is made worse by your driving to the scene (to meet the boy) but you drove away when there was no-one matching his description. And I take into account what the experienced probation officer said when he says ‘I assessed Mr Williams to possess a high risk of harm to children, particularly boys aged 13 to 17.”

Sarah Allen, prosecuting, said a paedophile hunter group called “Travelling from Nottingham” set up an online profile for a boy on Facebook. She said the defendant started talking online to him and the boy told him he was 14 years of age.

The prosecutor said: “The defendant very quickly turned the chat sexual asking him if he’s ever (had any sexual contact). The boy said he hadn’t and was a virgin.

“The defendant asked the boy to send him pictures of his (private parts) but (the group) did not but instead sent a picture of a topless youth from the internet.

The defendant then sent a picture of his buttocks and asked (the boy) to meet him at 10.30pm in the car park of Asda in Long Eaton as Kyle’s mother would be at work then.

“The defendant came to the location in his car but then drove off when there was no one of the boy’s description there.”

Miss Allen said the paedophile hunters contacted the police who arrested Williams at his home address.

She said in his interview he told officers he thought he was communicating online with someone who was 19 years of age but he then confirmed that the boy had told him he was 14 and had “chosen to ignore that”.

The prosecutor said Williams also admitted to trying to arrange to meet the teen at Asda.

Williams, of Station Road, Long Eaton, pleaded guilty to attempted sexual communication with a child. He has no previous convictions of any kind.