A town’s youngest ever mayor is facing jail after being snared by paedophile hunters while trying to meet a 15-year-old boy for sex.
Lee Cook, former mayor of Peterlee in Durham, sent explicit messages to the teen on the gay dating app, Grindr.
However, Cook was actually talking to an account set up by Guardians of the North, a group who try to search for paedophiles online.
Lee Cook, former Mayor of Peterlee in Durham, sent explicit messages to an underage teenage boy on the gay dating app, Grindr
The vigilantes met him at his home, where Cook and the boy had arranged to meet.
He later admitted trying to meet a boy under 16 following grooming earlier this month at Peterlee Magistrates’ Court.
During a short hearing at Durham Crown Court today the case was adjourned until October 13 when Cook will be sentenced.
Guardians of the North filmed their meeting with the disgraced former councillor and during the clip one of the members asks him: ‘Why have you asked a child to come to your property?’
Cook, who had been a member of the North East Party, replies: ‘He was supposed to be over 18, it’s Grindr.’
The mayor then claims he thought the ’15’ on his screen was how many miles away the teen’s house was.
Left, Cook while he was mayor of Peterlee and right, when confronted by Guardians of the North
But Guardians of the North tell him that the message read: ‘I’m 15. Peterlee.’
Cook became mayor of Peterlee in May this year and was the youngest person to have ever held the position, until he resigned earlier this month following news of his arrest.
Chatting to the teen on Grindr Cook had asked: ‘Wanna come over?’ The ‘boy’ replied: ‘What for?’ Cook told him: ‘Fun.’
When he was asked, ‘what fun?’, Cook responded: ‘Sucking, w******, r****** and f******.’
Cook thought he was sending these messages to a 15-year-old, but it was in fact members of Guardians of the North
Cook (pictured, outside Durham Crown Court) has been told to prepare himself for a jail term
Penny Bottomley, defending, asked for the case to be adjourned so that medical evidence could be sought and a pre-sentence report compiled.
She told the court how Cook suffers from ‘fairly severe’ epilepsy and has to be supervised by people during activity.
Judge Christopher Prince said: ‘I will adjourn for the various reports and references to be obtained.
‘I have made a note that the defendant should prepare for custody.’