PAEDOPHILE hunters who put their target in hospital after confronting him mob handed have been blasted by a judge.

Members of the Leeds-based N-Force Justice travelled hundreds of miles to find Christopher Bradford after he sent vile message to what he thought were young girls.

But the gang assaulted the 36-year-old during the incident where they burst into his girlfriend's home as they streamed live online, a court was told.

Police are now investigating the Sunday lunchtime fracas which led to eight so-called hunters being arrested in Swindon.

The gang came down from Yorkshire to confront Bradford after he contacted two members who were pretending to be 14-year-old girls and immediately started making sexualised comments, asking about their underwear. He also sent vile pictures and a movie of himself, asking them to do the same.

As the conversations developed he asked them to call him Daddy and made plans to meet one of the youngsters at a cinema complex, despite knowing her supposed age.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how the group confronted him at his girlfriend's house, one filming it live on Facebook.

She said "The Crown do not condone the conduct of the group. There was an assault on Mr Bradford. It is under investigation, a formal complaint has been made."

Once the police were involved seven mobile phones were recovered, including four which had been hidden under a drain cover in the garden.

Rob Ross, defending, said "This man was violently assaulted. He received cuts and bruises.

"He wasn't required to stay in hospital but I think that was more luck than judgement, frankly. He got, in street parlance, a good going over.

"At the very least he suffered an ABH from a physical point of view. It is clear his house was broken into in a forced entry."

He said his girlfriend was forced to watch him 'being beaten up' as well as being shown images of her then partner grabbed from the internet.

Passing sentence Judge Robert Pawson said "You were trapped or exposed by a group of so called or self-styled paedophile hunters.

"They came to Swindon from elsewhere in the country in what might be described as mob handed. At a confrontation at your girlfriend's address at about midday you were assaulted and I understand they were mob handed, well there were eight of them.

"They should, on any view, have gone to the police. We do not live in some wild west town where vigilantes can go round acting as self appointed policemen. One of the reasons for that is to avoid precisely what happened in this case.

"I note from the papers that one of the things that happened when you were allegedly being assaulted was images were shown to your then partner.

"She was entirely innocent, as I understand. It was an act which I find was rather cruel. The police have now had to spend further hard pressed resources on another inquiry."

Bradford, of Oaksey Road, Penhill, was sentenced to 14 months suspended for two years after admitting attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, attempting to make sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a child watch a sex act. He must abide by a four month curfew, be under probation supervision and register as a sex offender and abide by a sexual harm prevention order for 10 years.