A man attempted to lure what he believed was a young teenage girl into sending him an explicit picture of herself, a court has heard.

Nathan Missing, 25, pleaded guilty at Norwich Crown Court to five offences involving sexual chats he had online with profiles he believed belonged to four young girls aged 13 and 14. 

Jude Durr, prosecuting, said the profiles were in fact decoy accounts set up by adults to catch and hunt down online paedophiles.

Appearing via video link from HMP Norwich, Missing, of Cadogan Road in Cromer, admitted four counts of attempting sexual communication with a child between December 11 and 13 last year for the purposes of sexual gratification.

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The court was told he had exchanged messages with decoy accounts purporting to be a 14-year-old called Imogen and others that claimed to be young girls called Emma, Molly and Leanne. 

He also pleaded guilty to attempting to incite what he believed was a 13-year-old called Emma to engage in sexual activity by sending indecent photo of themselves 

He was remanded in custody until he is sentenced on March 25.