An RTE employee has been arrested in Leeds. Kieran Creaven, 54, has been accused of trying to have sex with a 13-year-old girl, reports the Irish Independent. The newspaper says that Creaven went to Leeds on November 18 after meeting what he thought was thought was a teenage girl online.

Creaven Was 'Confronted' by a Group While in Leeds

The Independent reports that the man was "confronted" by a group who had started a fake profile in an attempt to catch predators. The man has been confirmed as an employee of the national broadcaster. RTE said in a statement, "RTE has been made aware of this matter, which is being dealt with by the Yorkshire Police Force in the United Kingdom." Creaven is accused of using a Facebook page under a pseudonym (above). On that page, Creaven writes in the bio section, "Keeping it handsome..."

Creaven appeared in court in Leeds on November 20. A judge allowed the RTE producer to be bailed back to his home address in Ireland, reports the Irish Times.  He will appear in court again in Leeds on December 19. 

The Sunday Times' Peter O'Dwyer tweeted that Creaven was "confronted by a vigalente group that had created a fake profile and broadcast on FB live. That video has been posted by Heavy.com.  In that video, Creaven is accused of offering take the girl shopping and to a Leeds United soccer game. 

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Creaven Is a Sports Producer With RTE

According to his Twitter profile, Creaven workes as a sports producer with RTE. A January 2017 Buzz.ie article about RTE's horse racing broadcasts referred to Creaven as the network's "racing editor." According to his LinkedIn page, Creaven has worked for RTE since 1998. Prior to that, Creaven says he "worked with independent TV/Film companies in Ireland as an Assistant Producer working on non-sports programs, including dramas and music productions."

Creaven has worked for RTE at the FIFA World Cup in 2006, 2010 and 2014 as well as at every Olympics since 2004. 

Posts on Creaven's personal Facebook page indicate that he is married to a woman from Portugal. 

This Allegation Comes a Month After Tom Humphries Was Sentenced

This allegation against an RTE employee comes a month after former Irish Times journalist Tom Humphries was sentenced. Humphries was found guilty of two counts of defilement of a child and four counts of inviting a child to participate in a sexuall explicit, obscene or indecent at. Despite the allegations first coming to light in 2011, Humphries wasn't charged until March 2014. He was found guilty in March 2017 and sentenced to two and a half years in prison on October 24, 2017. Prior to sentencing, it emerged that respected Irish journalist David Walsh and Cork hurler Donal Og Cusack had written character references for Humphries.

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