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AIBU?

AIBU to think that these Peadophile Catchers are not a bad thing?

91 replies

NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 23/04/2013 10:43

Just read about Letzgo Hunting. A group of vigilante parents who are actively setting up fake meetings with potential pedophiles and then filming them for evidence...they're recording internet conversations and posing as underage girls....creating "sting" operations.

The group have been the cause of 6 arrests...men who have gone to meet decoys basically.

I know vigilante activity is "wrong" but part of me is thinking GOOD!! GOOD go and catch these men. They're not beating the men up...they're not torturing them or anything they don't even reveal their names or anything to the public...they just inform the police.

How is that bad? They're not hurting the men who are arranging to meet children for sex....so....how is this bad?

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Report

Nanny0gg · 23/04/2013 10:44

So what if they get it wrong?

Beehatch · 23/04/2013 10:46

Because it's entrapment.

Remember Barry George? And that was done by the police.

NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 23/04/2013 10:46

I don't see how they could Nanny...they engage in conversations with men who are actively looking for underage girls...they talk online....and arrange meetings for sex...then these men turn up...how could that go wrong? They don't hurt them....

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NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 23/04/2013 10:47

Beehatch....I can't see entrapment as wrong when it's to safeguard children.

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LaurieFairyCake · 23/04/2013 10:49

I listened to the group leader on radio 5 live yesterday. They keep telling the responder online their age (12-14) so that they have a chance to duck out at any time - and the vast majority say 'you're too young to talk to' and then stop.

The ones that then go on to ask them about sex etc are then talked to over a few months to build up a relationship - they then 'meet' them and tell the police.

I think there should be a new police task force who do this - not happy about it being in the hands of private individuals as it is open to abuse - they could be infiltrated by a pedophile for example.

AllThatGlistens · 23/04/2013 10:49

Because evidence needs to be carefully collated to ensure a safe conviction!

What's the point in ill thought out vigilantism if any evidence they gather is inadmissible in court and a prosecution fails??

NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 23/04/2013 10:53

Glistens it seems though, that they are mindful of the law....they would not have had a hand in so many arrests if this were not the case. As Laurie says, they're well organised.

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YohedYoshoulderYonisandYotoes · 23/04/2013 10:53

It still makes men nervous about chatting to underage women, and personally I think this is a good thing - it would deter the dabblers who are just astounded by the attention, and only serious screw-ups persist - it does show to me how the men that turned up were probably in the latter camp - one video that I saw showed that the bloke - 50s - had turned up with a half bottle of vodka for his 14 year old 'date' to drink. That's pretty calculated.

notsoyoniface · 23/04/2013 10:53

Because it will turn into this

NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 23/04/2013 10:53

They're "Grooming" the offenders by the sound of it...over a number of months.

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NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 23/04/2013 10:55

That's right Yohed. NotsoYoni no it won't and anyway the show you linked to has made a LOT of arrests....men who would have been damaging young children were discovered and arrested.

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AllThatGlistens · 23/04/2013 10:57

So why have the police force in question actually come out against the group then? And for the reasons I mentioned above?

YoothaJoist · 23/04/2013 10:58

Because you can't put a fag paper between the type of (aggressively self-righteous) men who do this, and the type of (aggressively self righteous) men they target.

They may start off with no intention to harm - but these things have a nasty habit of spiralling out of control.

KansasCityOctopus · 23/04/2013 10:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

YohedYoshoulderYonisandYotoes · 23/04/2013 10:59

I also agree to the last point - they are groomed by a lot of sexual-ish flirting and sometimes some pictures that indicate a strong sexual lead by the 'women'. I am sure that these days that many younger women are making directly sexual advances than previously, especially over the net and that men are also being conditioned to not find this in any way abnormal, or sex-experiment only 'texting' to be more common, probably using porn-y style language too.

I get the feeling this is the path that the 'offender' is taken on, with the age coming up during the process. The one I saw had quite a lot of suggestive 'hmms' and 'maybe! ;)' type flirtation that can't have helped.

Even so, this should do what I said earlier, make people who suddenly see a young age mentioned, get very wary and careful. I suppose one worry might be that if there has been lots of love declared and things talked about, that the 'offender' might feel terrible about rejecting the person - but I still think careful men would still refrain from meet-ups for sex or drinking etc..

recall · 23/04/2013 11:00

I think it is a brilliant idea

NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 23/04/2013 11:01

Yootha I believe the group consists of men AND women.

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YoothaJoist · 23/04/2013 11:01

Because there are no controls. Because the men who are doing the entrapping are getting as turned on as the men they are talking to. Because it's all macho bullshit and I don't want to live in that world.

Control, regulation, accountability. Without these, there is no justice.

YoothaJoist · 23/04/2013 11:02

So men AND women fancy themselves as amateur PEEEEDO hunting superheroes?

Not in my name.

NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 23/04/2013 11:03

What? Why would they get "turned on" Yootha? And if you think police officers don't get excited when they catch a criminal or that ALL police officers are intelligent then you're naive. You don't want to live in a macho bullshit world....well then stop being against people who are trying to protect children from being raped.

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NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 23/04/2013 11:03

Yootha it's not in "your name" it's in the names of the children at risk.

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NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 23/04/2013 11:04

And Yootha the group consists of 6 mums an dads. Not so macho.

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HeySoulSister · 23/04/2013 11:05

'Men' ??

So there are no female predators!?

lljkk · 23/04/2013 11:06

They are hunting Hebephiles or even Ephebophiles, not Paedophiles. They pose as 14yo girls online to ensnare targets.

Maybe I'm nuts but to me the differences are obviously very important.

As to what they are doing, meh. I think they are putting themselves at risk, is main problem. The police don't want to have to pick up the pieces.

NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 23/04/2013 11:08

SoulSister I say MEN because they've not yet caught any women. I never at ANY point said women could not be predatory. But I knew someone would mention it...so well done...cookie for you.

LLJKK so you think 14 year olds are not worthy of the police's time??

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