A 38-year-old Indian-origin bank employee in London, Balachandran Kavungalparambath has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after admitting to attempting to arrange or facilitate the commission of child sex abuse, reports.
Married and father of one, Kavungalparambath was caught on camera by a UK-based vigilante group called "Internet Interceptors", who broadcast their encounter live on Facebook.
Kavungalparambath who worked with Citibank was trying to meet a 14-year-old girl for sex after grooming her online.
‘Internet Interceptors’ track the internet to catch adults grooming children online for sexual abuse and they intercepted Mr Kavungalparambath in a hotel room in Birmingham where he had arranged to meet one of the group's activists posing as a 14-year-old girl during Whatsapp chats.
"I will have to leave the country. I am from India. I lose my job, I have to leave the country," Mr Kavungalparambath is heard saying on the video when asked what would happen to him as punishment.
"I have heard about this. I heard about these groups. But as I said, I was supposed to have a chat with her, it was not with the intention of getting her into a bed and having sex with her. That was not my intention," he is heard saying.
Birmingham Crown Court was told last week that the video which was streamed live on Facebook, saw the London-based banker break down in tears where he claimed he just wanted to have lunch with the youngster.
However, when his own Whatsapp messages were read out to him, he accepted his mistake.
"It's not right. I accept my mistake," he told members of the vigilante group on camera.
At one stage he is ordered to empty the contents of his rucksack, with perfume and condoms spilling onto a table in front of him.
He has been jailed for 15-months and has been placed on the sex offender register for 10 years. He was also handed a 10-year sexual harm prevention order to prevent any future re-offending.
He will be deported to India after his sentence is served.
A spokesperson for Citibank said: "This individual is not a Citi employee any longer. The offences are abhorrent."
