Would you attend a peaceful protest if a convicted paedophile moved into your street?

[thefourgp]

I’ve never attended anything similar before and I’m in two minds about going. He was convicted (I’ve read the newspaper articles which show his photo) and has been released after serving half his sentence. I don’t know if he owns the property but he’s moved in with his wife who stood by him. There’s a peaceful protest being arranged. Would you go?

I apologise.

Clueless and uncaring is what you said, not clueless and uneducated.

Can you answer the question now?

If people have evidence of someone abusing a child, and give that to the police, how long should they then wait for the police to "find" them before stepping in themselves?

Never? Should that abuse continue indefintely as thats preferable to vigilantes?

BananaPoP2020 I’m really not sure, I don’t remember this scenario being discussed in the thread but I’ve been accused of ignoring the question earlier.

PheasantPlucker1 I expect people to keep their nose out of police investigations and leave it to them. You are asking me an unanswerable hypothetical question.

@Puzzledandpissedoff - that article refers to 941 out of nearly 30,000. That would suggest that supervision and monitoring is actually an effective approach.

PheasantPlucker1 And yet still you misquote me😂. Show me where I have ever said “uncaring”?

I said they don’t care who gets hurt, which is true. I never said “uncaring”. Keep it accurate.

@Nicknacky I have noticed that whatever you say, Pheasant is determined to argue the toss. I also see that boundary and tone of the ‘question’ has now shifted as well, from someone watching children to actively abusing them.

BananaPop2020 And yet I’m expected to give answers to a case I know nowt about🤷🏻‍♀️. I can only talk in general terms (and about Scots law).

NickNacky 15:55 you said people who engaged in vigilnate justice (not a direct quote) didnt care who got hurt.

I can not qoute, so paraphrasing. Please feel free to fall back on pedantics and correct me rather than adress any points I make, again.

In my personal experience, its the opposite to people being uncaring. Vigilnates got involved as children were being hurt, and after police got the evidence it carried on a further two years, and involved other children.

As long as the police fail to act and justice isnt see to be done people will get involved, despite the insults you throw at them for doing so.

PheasantPlucker1 So that’s one case where you feel like lack of police action mean vigilantes were required.

What about all the other times?

BananaPop I have asked you (and others) try to empathise and understand why people feel the need to protest, rather than just insult them.

In my and others opinions not enough is done to protect people from sex offenders.

That is the issue that needs adressing as it is what leads, rightly or wrongly, to vigilnates of all types. The good and the bad.

I have said at least 3 times I dont actually condone vigilante justice but understand why it happens.

Do I need to repeat it?

@PheasantPlucker1 I DO understand why people feel they want to protest. I have not disputed that. What I HAVE expressed is my disapproval of direct action by people who don’t grasp the full facts, don’t think about the implications of their actions and in most cases, are just there for the ruck.

That article refers to 941 out of nearly 30,000. That would suggest that supervision and monitoring is actually an effective approach

I somehow doubt the parents of those 941 children would see it quite that way - and these are after all just the cases where action's been taken and the offenders presumably apprehended so the link to their past convictions is known

FWIW I get we'll probably never have a situation where no paedophile can ever offend again, but if they remained in jail or were even sent there in the first place, it might at least be fewer than the thick end of a thousand (plus however many more in the last few years)

Sadly grasping the full facts often means the only legal and rational solution is to accept the RSO next door.

Despite the fact its unacceptable on a personal level. Moving doesnt help, as has been said many times they are everwhere.

Which is why people feel they have no other option but to go back to plan A, and protest. There isnt at present any workable solution, and I have no idea what that soution would be.

Its the whole system which needs discussion and reform.

@Puzzledandpissedoff I get what you are saying, but it is simply not possible to incarcerate everyone convicted of these offences.

I don't see the point of protesting about this person. What good would it do? While people are concentrating on making life difficult for him, unknown predators can be active and go unnoticed - or else the blame would be put on him if he had no alibi.

it is simply not possible to incarcerate everyone convicted of these offences

Not possible, or not happening because the will isn't there to do it?

There'd always be exceptions of course, such as the obvious example of someone with such severe MH issues that they genuinely didn't know what they were doing, but isn't that just an argument for a different method of removing them from public contact?

I guess it's obvious that, for me at least, the key is protection of the public and children in particular - and that right now that just isn't enough of a priority

Pheasant, did you ring the emergency number on any of the occasions the abuse was going on? How many others were aware of this abuse? Your case sounds extraordinary and like a colossal failing, which we all know happens but untypical of the 'usual' cases.

I'm inclined to believe you've bent the truth, actually Pheasant. You say you would definitely attend a protest because of where a sex offender lives and yet you just claimed it was 2 years before any vigilante you personally know of stepped in when you knew for a fact and had evidence of, multiple children being abused. It doesn't add up.

Lilac yes ringing did occour to us. It was colossal and was reported by the media though Id rather not have it linked to my name for obvious reasons.

Is it really so hard to understand why at first we trusted in the police, and why that trust was lost?

Not all protesters or vigilantes are Tomny Robinson fans. Some have just been failed by the system.

So did you? I'm sorry I just find it hard to believe that someone would jump to a protest over where an offender lives, no questions asked and yet that same person would be a bystander for two years, and watch abuse happen to multiple children.
If it's one of the cases I'm thinking it could be, I can see it could've been complex. And yes, for sure. I can completely understand why certain communities have lost trust in their local force.

PheasantPlucker1 If it was a massive investigation then that’s why it took so long. We have an enquiry in my area that has been running for many years. Much more than two and that is an abuse investigation also.

Look at how long the hospital baby murder enquiry has been running before they have charged someone.

Yes Lilac we rang.
Multiple times. We also visited the local station, multiple times.

I wouldnt have "jumped" to a protest initially, no. None of us did. We trusted the police, for too long. (I should point out although I was involved from an evidence point of view I wasnt personally involved in any direct physical vigilante action with the individual concerned.)

Its the experience I had that changed my viewpoint and make me more willing to be involved in direct action now.

By direct I mean protesting. I do not mean violence etc. although my reason for posting about this case is to explain I understand why that happens, and its not just because people are thick or violent.

NickNacky it was one individual who was eventually given a suspended sentence and not removed from the area.

It wasnt linked to any further individuals prosecuted. Just him.

You have more expertise than me to decide if thats a massive investigtaion.

Pheasant I have to apologise, I think I know what you're referring to. I'll say nothing more.
Still, the mistrust you rightfully feel is aimed towards police as an institution not taking action soon enough, whereas this thread was started about a man who has been convicted.