"BAILED AFTER STING" - MAN HELD OVER EXPLICIT CHATS WITH '13-YEAR-OLD'
A man has been arrested and bailed after being exposed in a child protection sting carried out by online safeguarding teams.Bilal Aftab was caught out by decoys posing as a 13-year-old girl, during which he is alleged to have engaged in highly sexualised conversations.
According to those involved in the operation, the chats escalated quickly into explicit territory.
It is reported that Aftab sent videos showing sexual acts being performed on a male by an unidentified female, despite believing he was communicating with a child.
The sting, conducted by Ghosts and ECPU - Elusive, led to Aftab being confronted at his home address.
During the confrontation, he reportedly apologised to the decoys for the nature of his messages and behaviour.
Police attended the address and Aftab was subsequently arrested in connection with the incident.
He has since been released on bail while further enquiries are carried out.
The investigation remains ongoing, with officers expected to examine digital evidence including message logs and media files obtained during the sting.
