A MAN was beaten up by a gang of blackmailers after he attempted to meet an underage girl in a church car park.

The 19-year-old thought he was meeting a 14-year-old girl he had met on the internet in Atherton - but when he got there, he was attacked by a gang of men who accused him of being a paedophile.

They also filmed the attack, which happened on Friday, and sent him online messages threatening to post the video on the internet if he did not pay them money.

After escaping, the teenager then reported the matter to police and was promptly arrested on suspicion of grooming.

He has been bailed while police investigate.

In a second similar incident, concerned shoppers called police when they saw a man being beaten up in Market Place in Wigan at about 2.40pm on Saturday.

Again, the men were accusing their target of arranging to meet a 14-year-old girl online.

The man was attacked by one of the men in the group, who headbutted him and knocked out two of his teeth.

The rest of the group filmed the incident which has since been posted online.

The man got away from the group and went to the police station to report the incident.

The 25-year-old man was then arrested on suspicion of grooming and is still in police custody for questioning.

Det Insp Charlotte Cadden from Bolton police said: “These men were targeted because they had illegally arranged to meet up with underage girls online.

“I want to make it clear that grooming and arranging to meet up with children you have met over the internet is a criminal offence and if you are caught doing this you will be arrested and prosecuted.

“It is unacceptable that this group are posing as underage girls and meeting up with men with the view to either blackmailing them or attacking them in the street.

“If you have any information regarding these incidents, please contact the police as soon as possible.”

The first attacker in the Friday incident was white, aged between 18 and 20, had shaven brown hair and was wearing a white t-shirt and a black tracksuit.

He was carrying a black Foot Asylum drawstring bag and had a tattooed left arm.

The second attacker was a white woman, about 5ft 4in tall with reddish, dark hair wearing a grey hoodie and a black top.

The third is a white man, aged in his 40s, 5ft 4in tall, wearing glasses and carrying a walking stick, while the fourth is a white man with short brown receding hair and wearing a blue T-Shirt.

Anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.

A 25-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of assault and blackmail; he remains in police custody for questioning.