A reporter has told how she “acted on instinct” when she answered a graffiti message on a train toilet door, leading to the capture of four paedophiles.

Ruth Lumley, who works for The Argus in Brighton, had been on her way home from work when she spotted a message reading ‘girls aged eight to 13 wanted for sex’.

She called and texted the number posing as an 11-year-old girl, and contacted police when she was bombarded with obscene messages.

Four paedophiles are now facing jail after a police sting captured one of the men and further investigations led them to the other three. All four pleaded guilty to sex offences and are awaiting sentencing.

Ruth told HoldtheFrontPage: “I’m very glad that I rang that number. I never thought that something like this could come out of something like that.

“I acted on instinct and it proved right. Four people who have been abusing children are behind bars and it has stopped other children from being abused.”

Ruth, who joined The Argus five weeks ago, had been working as a court reporter for the Chichester Observer when she spotted the message on the back of a train toilet door in March last year.

She said: “The message struck me as weird. I thought it could be a sick joke but I decided to give the number a ring.

“There was no answer but about half-an-hour later I got a text message asking if I was male or female, how old I was and where I saw the message.”

After pretending to be an 11-year-old girl, Ruth began to receive sexually suggestive and lewd messages, but instead of replying she contacted police.

She said: “I received loads of messages containing some horrendous stuff. They obviously believed I was 11 and I realised I was in touch with a really nasty piece of work.”

Ruth gave a statement to British Transport Police who took away her mobile phone. She was also due to give evidence at the trial but was spared the ordeal when the men pleaded guilty.