POLICE were forced to drop charges against a man who sent explicit pictures and arranged to meet who he thought was a 14-year-old girl because of a lack of evidence.

Philip O'Riordan, 51, was investigated by Essex Police after online vigilante group Internet Investigators duped him into believing he was talking to a 14-year-old girl.

After sending explicit photographs and messages to who he believed to be a girl - including one which said he would teach her how to perform a sex act on him - O'Riordan arranged to meet her at a shopping centre.

But when he arrived he was actually met by representatives from the vigilante group who confronted him about his behaviour.

Police were forced to drop the charges due to a lack of evidence and O'Riordan has not been convicted of any offences, but police applied for him to be made the subject of a sexual risk order meaning he must keep the authorities aware of his address at all times.

Fiona Philpott, prosecuting for Essex Police at the hearing at Colchester Magistrates' Court said: "He sent photographs of his penis and asked for her to send pictures to him.

"He engaged in sexual conversations.

"He was arrested and was released on conditional bail but the case was marked as no further action due to evidential differences.

"He admitted he is attracted to younger girls and thought he was arranging to meet a 14-year-old."

In the video posted online by the Internet Investigators, O'Riordan, said he did not have a preconceived idea about what he would do when he met up with the girl, claimed most of what he had told her about his sexual fantasies was all talk and that he was mortified at what he had done.

O'Riordan did not challenge the order but Selena Dines, mitigating for him, said he had lost his job and his home in Rosemary Road, Clacton, as a result of the sting and was now living in his car.

She said: "This is a man in his 50s who has no previous convictions or any history of offending.

"As a result of this he has been made homeless and jobless.

"He was working as a delivery driver for Asda and the first time he knew about the online footage was after he was called into a meeting with management after colleagues had raised their concerns.

"He was dismissed from his employment.

"One of the people in his accommodation block also had connections with is employers and told the landlady who was no longer comfortable with him residing there."

Magistrates granted the order until further notice but told O'Riordan he could apply for it to be rescinded in the future.