Police are trying to find a gang of vigilante paedophile hunters accused of posing as children online and then beating up men who agree to meet them . The group working in the North-West has been accused of filming the attacks , the latest of which was on Saturday , and then sending online messages demanding money to keep the film secret . One teenager has told Greater Manchester Police he was beaten up by the gang , who reportedly tricked him into believing he was meeting an underage girl in a church car park after dark . The 19-year-old thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl he had spoken to on on the internet in Atherton - but when he got there he was attacked by a gang of men who accused him of being a paedophile . Attack : One teenager has told Greater Manchester Police he was beaten up by the gang , who reportedly tricked him into believing he was meeting an underage girl in a church car park in Atherton ( pictured ) After escaping , the teenager then reported the matter to police and was promptly arrested on suspicion of grooming . He has been bailed while police investigate . In a second similar incident , concerned shoppers called police when they saw a man being beaten up in Market Place in Wigan at about 2.40pm on Saturday . Their target , Andrew O'Neill , 25 , has since admitted in court that he groomed an under-age girl . He had made contact on a dating website with a 'girl ' called Alex , Wigan Magistrates ' Court heard . But after booking a hotel room and turning up to meet the girl in Wigan on Saturday afternoon , he was confronted by a number of men and attacked . Concerned shoppers witnessed the assault on Market Place in the town centre as O'Neill was head-butted and lost two front teeth . Other members of the group filmed the incident . He escaped the attack and went to the police to report the assault . The video was then posted on Facebook with the tag 'NWI Nonce Busters ' - believed to be a reference to right-wing group the North West Infidels . The video has since been taken down . O'Neill , formerly of Castlehey , Skelmersdale , was charged by police after reporting the assault and admitted an offence of attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming , between April 11 and 18 . He was remanded into custody for his own safety and will appear for sentence at Liverpool Crown Court on May 11 . Nicola Ormerod , prosecuting , said : 'The defendant has contacted somebody said to be called 'Alex ' on a profile on a dating website . 'General discussions then turn flirty and sexual and she said she is 14 . Second meeting : Concerned shoppers called police when they saw a man lose his teeth after being beaten up in Market Place in Wigan . 'There 's an arrangement made for the two parties to meet . The defendant has already booked a hotel room and is found in possession of a tube of lubricant . 'It 's been a set-up profile from a group . He thought this person was 14 and has arranged to meet for the relevant offence . 'It has had press coverage over the weekend . It is from a particular group who set this up and the defendant has been assaulted . ' Andrea Woods , defending , said O'Neill had no previous convictions and co-operated with police . O'Neill was the second man arrested by police over the weekend following alleged vigilante paedophile stings . A second man , aged 19 , has been released on bail on suspicion of committing a similar offence to O'Neill . Det Insp Charlotte Cadden from Bolton police said : 'These men were targeted because they had illegally arranged to meet up with underage girls online . Andrew O'Neill , 25 , one of the vigilante group 's targets , has since admitted at Wigan Magistrates ' Court ( above ) that he groomed an under-age girl . ' I want to make it clear that grooming and arranging to meet up with children you have met over the internet is a criminal offence and if you are caught doing this you will be arrested and prosecuted . 'It is unacceptable that this group are posing as underage girls and meeting up with men with the view to either blackmailing them or attacking them in the street . 'If you have any information regarding these incidents , please contact the police as soon as possible . ' The first attacker in the Friday incident was white , aged between 18 and 20 , had shaven brown hair and was wearing a white t-shirt and a black tracksuit . He was carrying a black Foot Asylum drawstring bag and had a tattooed left arm . The second attacker was a white woman , about 5ft 4in tall with reddish , dark hair wearing a grey hoodie and a black top . The third is a white man , aged in his 40s , 5ft 4in tall , wearing glasses and carrying a walking stick , while the fourth is a white man with short brown receding hair and wearing a blue T-Shirt . Anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers , anonymously , on 0800 555111 . Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article .
Gang in North-West allegedly beating up and blackmailing string of men . They pose as children online and attack those who agree to meet them . Score: 6