November 2019 The ‘dangerous’ paedophile caught by Facebook hunters  A ‘dangerous’ paedophile has been jailed after arranging to meet a 14-year-old boy in Chelmsford. Billy Keir, 45, started contacting the boy boy who he believed was called ‘Tom’ between August 20 and August 24 on Facebook Messenger. The conversation soon moved to WhatsApp and the messages from Keir became more sexual. He arranged to meet ‘Tom’ in Chelmsford, but when he arrived at the train station, he was confronted by members of an online paedophile hunter group. The police were called and Keir was arrested and later charged with a number of offences. When interviewed by officers, Keir denied that he knew ‘Tom’ was 14 and said that he didn’t write like a 14-year-old. A search was carried out at his home address in Church Avenue, Chelmsford, where officers found a phone, condoms and lubrication. At the time of the arrest, Keir was already subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order following a previous conviction related to sexual offences against children. He admitted attempting to meet a child under 16 following grooming, attempting to cause a child to watch a sexual act and attempting to breach a SHPO. However, he denied attempting to communicate with a child under the age of 16 and that charge was allowed to lie on file. Keir appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court yesterday (November 26) where he was jailed for two-and-a-half years. He was also given a further six years on an extended licence.