To think that KidSafe posting live paedophile "stings" is dangerous?

[WhoWants2Know]

In the wee hours of last night the Keeping Kids Safe volunteer group (who pose as children online to discover sexual predators) confronted two suspected paedophiles in my local area on their doorsteps. The incidents were posted on Facebook Live as they happened, and the men were arrested by the police.

I think the group does good work, and clearly the men need to be brought to police attention. But they both have families and children, who were caught up in the backlash.

The wives (and child in one case) learned of their loved ones' wrongdoing on video, with their devastation displayed live for hundreds of viewers. By morning their neighbors, classmates and colleagues had all seen the videos and the spouses had received abuse and death threats. The families are now in undisclosed locations under police protection.

I'm not advocating any kind of sympathy for sex offenders, and I'm glad they were caught.
AIBU to think that the live posts were unnecessary? Certainly the confrontation should be recorded as evidence and given to the police. But that could be done without publicly humiliating innocent bystanders and exposing them to risk before the police have had a chance to investigate?

It's highly questionable ethically but part of me says TOUGH! I do feel bad for their potentially innocent families though.

It sounds incredibly crass. Modern version of a pitchfork-wielding mob.

This is why I have issues with vigilante peadophile hunters. Just makes everything so messy. Their poor families.

Yes, not keen on vigilantes in any circumstances but definitely not for consumption on video 'as it happened' - that's insane!

That's horrific. Confront the paedophile by all means, but don't involve their family.

YANBU. I hate this. Utterly devastating for innocent family members, causing so much pain and suffering. It's not the way to deal with this.

Yes it's awful. Society is barbaric if it's come to this. There are other ways to deal with this.

Social media allows a type of pitchfork wielding yokel more power than ever before. If they have evidence give it to the police and let them handle it in the proper manner. This isn't Transylvania

I agree with you. I also think that the way these groups operate can often lead to evidential difficulties when looking at charges and court cases.

Idiots who threaten innocent wives/offspring of paedophiles would do so whether the wives/offspring were caught on camera or not. I remember a targeted wife having to move house in the 1980s, way before YouTube and social media. Morons can't seem to separate the criminal from the innocent family, and that will always happen.

However, I do agree that their images shouldn't be captured and broadcast. There's no need for that. It's not in the public interest at all.

Spot on Skittlesss People like this have caused more than one case to collapse by the time it comes to court.

Clearly we have a problem in this country with the abuse of children and the police are stretched beyond their limits in trying to catch every offender. A lot of this is down to the fact that it can take a very long time to meticulously gather evidence and prepare a case before an arrest is even made. These self-styled 'heroes' forego all of those pesky delays and just go crashing in, potentially wrecking months of work.

I'm not saying that the group in this story have been guilty of this but there are 'hunters' out there who have ruined people's lives with entrapment plots that would never stand up in court.

What exactly is missing from the lives of these vigilantes that they feel the need to do this?

Purpose.

I always thought the videoing was for evidence purposes. It was live on FB?

God the poor families, especially the child

I disagree with the whole 'live' filming of it. By all means post after, but the poor family must have been distraught to realise everyone knew what was happening before they did.

Record for evidence purposes, fine.

But the live aspect just feels like it's encouraging vigilantism. There were people going to one address to watch what was happening while they were waiting. How on earth did everyone think that made the wife and child feel? They must have been so scared and worried for any retaliation towards them.

*after the case has been dealt with and prosecuted.

As the daughter of a man who is currently being charged with similar crimes (not peadophillia but something equally as bad) it wouldn't of matter if it was live or not, people always find out, and people will always go after the family's