A NURSE attempting to groom what he thought was a schoolgirl for sex was actually talking to a 6ft 1ins male police officer from the Met, a court heard.

A NURSE attempting to groom what he thought was a schoolgirl for sex was actually talking to a 6ft 1ins male police officer from the Met, a court heard.

Andrew Dart, 27 bombarded who he thought was a 14-year-old schoolgirl with lewd messages and begged her to send him pictures of her in her underwear, a court heard.

Dart of Coniston Square East, Ipswich, was caught after an undercover cop posed as a 14-year-old on a social networking website, jurors at Southwark Crown Court were told.

Fooled by fake pictures of a long-haired brunette wearing school uniform and posing on a beach in a bikini, Dart sent emails and text messages telling the teen she was “incredibly attractive”, it is alleged.

But the girl was in fact a 6ft 1ins Met police officer in his 30s, Southwark Crown Court heard.

The schoolgirl social profile was a “honey trap” set up by officers from the Paedophile Unit to catch internet predators.

Prosecutor Peter Zinner told the jury: “This case is about the dangers children and young people face when they go on the net and the efforts of the Met to police the internet and protect children from people who are up to ill gain.”

Dart is said to have spent two weeks grooming the girl before travelling from his home in Ipswich to London's Liverpool Street station to meet her with a view to having sex with her in a disabled toilet near the station.

But he was instead met by a team of police officers who swooped as he got off the train and found condoms in his possession.

Mr Zinner said: “The prosecution's case is that between April 1 and 15 this year, the defendant got in touch with what he believed to be a 14-year-old girl.

“Over the intervening two weeks the prosecution say he sent firstly emails of a suggestive nature, then there was live chat on MSN messengers and then there were text messages.”

As Dart travelled to London on the train he spoke to a female officer over the phone pretending to be his alleged victim.

Mr Zinner said the first email Dart is alleged to have sent to the schoolgirl read: 'Hi, no offence, you are extremely attractive, can we be friends please? I will be in London soon, would you like to meet?'

Three days later he sent a similar message and, once the two began chatting on the internet, Dart repeatedly sent explicit messages. He also sent her intimate pictures of himself.

Dart denies one count of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

The trial continues.