A Facebook paedophile was caught by undercover police who posed online as an 11-year-old girl.
Anthony Nelson, 51, targeted dozens of vulnerable children - some as young as seven - after setting up a bogus account in which he pretended to be a 13-year-old girl.
He persuaded the children to give him their mobile numbers and bombarded them with vile texts.
But the former hotel night porter, from Shildon, County Durham, was trapped when he tried to groom an undercover police officer.
The dad of two was arrested and his computer was seized. The divorcee admitted trying to meet a girl for a sex attack, making and possessing pictures of child abuse and bestiality, and inciting children to engage in sex.
He broke down crying at Teesside Crown Court when he was warned to expect a long jail term. He will sentenced later this month.