A MAN is being questioned this afternoon following a sting operation by a group which targets potential child sex predators.

The man was confronted by a member of Child Protection Awareness, a group styling itself as paedophile hunters, in Bishopstown early this afternoon. 

A member of the group accused the man of making contact online with an underage girl, with the intention of meeting her for a sexual encounter.

The group, working with a similar organisation in the UK, claimed to have set up a fake online profile of a 14-year-old girl. They engaged in a number of online conversations with the man, some of which the group claims were of a sexually-explicit nature.

After confronting the man demanding an explanation, gardai were called to the scene and the man was arrested.

A garda spokesman confirmed that a man was being questioned this afternoon under sexual offences legislation.