To think that this is not ok?

[angularmerkel]

I have just seen a live stream on my fb feed of a man being 'stung' by a 'paedophile hunting' team. It was not far from me (next town along) and people were all commenting along the lines of 'bang to rights', 'hang him', 'paedo' and similar and much worse.

The thing is this was a live stream - this guy's wife was apparently away on a hen weekend, so it's not out of the realms of probability that she could have been viewing this incident live. Not to mention other friends, family members and people who may have children who know this guy and who would, understandably, be upset and horrified to be seeing this unfold.

AIBU to think that it's not ok for 'paedophile stings' like this to be shown on social media? However horrible the alleged crime might be they should have the normal rights anybody has in law (remain silent, innocent until proven guilty etc) but moreover their friends and family shouldn't find out what has happened via a fb feed?

forever So you would have no issue with your house being fire bombed with you and your kids in it if there’s idiots did this to someone in your household?

nothing will ever stop sexual offending.

I know. Still can't muster the slightest bit of sympathy for pedos.

The problem is that the justice system is lacking

I agree, you can get locked up for having drugs found on you, but not for engaging in underage sex.

If the sentences were realistic maybe there wouldn't be a need for these groups to exist.

Their friends family and neighbors knowing about their activities would be the least of their worries

Why shouldn't the locals be aware these vile creatures are in their towns and villages?

your dad, partner, brother or son

I'd fucking be outing them myself.

So you would have no issue with your house being fire bombed with you and your kids in it if there’s idiots did this to someone in your household?

Also, you'd be totally fine with kids smashing your windows because they got the houses mixed up and their target actually lived next door to you?

It's funny how the vigilante hero types never think that the best way to help the police to allocate more appropriate resources would be to volunteer as Specials or set up neighbourhood watch schemes or assist in their communities with anti-social behaviour.

But I suppose it's much more exciting getting your rocks off sitting at home pretending to be Bruce Willis or pretending to be a nympho Lolita.

Each to their own but it doesn't sound entirely selfless to me.

I don't approve of any kind of vigilantism and this and that terrible American programme that spawned it reeks of attention seeking by thick people who enjoy whipping similar minded people into a frenzy.

I could just about live with it if it was done purely with the intention of assisting the police, but the live streaming is reminiscent of a dystopian 'you've been framed'.

That's before I even get onto the mistaken identies by their 'fans', damage to prosecutions, innocent family members etc.

It's barbaric and unjustifiable in a society which has actual processes in place for dealing with paedophiles and child abusers. Don't like it? Fuck off to Iraq and join in a stoning to get your jollies.

@Awwlookatmybabyspider, with you all the way.
They need flushing out, so that we can protect our children.

Sugarpiehoneyeye

Considering that as many as 1 in 35 men have the potential to be a peadophile (Link here) I think you're far better concentrating on teaching your children about the PANTS rules and internet safety, and generally being aware of the people they are around, than trying to "flush out" suspected sex offenders.

This man was the innocent victim of vigilante neighbours (who wrongly believed him to be a pedophile) and ended up murdered

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/dec/18/bristol-refugee-murder-review-finds-police-institutional-racism-bijan-ebrahimi

Historically, paedophiles seem to have been quite good at hiding in plain sight.

Working in children's homes, the police, socila services etc etc they're not stupid.

Who's the last person most people would think of as likely to be a paedophile?

A paedophile hunter?

Who knows? I suspect there's a lot of guilt being purged by these men.

Because it's obviously such an emotive subject it seems to me all the more important that things are dealt with in the right way - by reporting to police and letting the system do its job. Because actually, if these 'hunters' do get someone who deserves prison, or can lead to further arrests (if there's a paedophile ring, for example) and their actions impede an investigation then they're not doing anyone any good are they?

With that in mind, surely live streaming something like this could give other offenders the chance to hide, delete incriminating stuff from computers etc, if they see someone they know have this happen to them. The more I think about it the more I think the public nature of these stings is massively unhelpful.

Saying that, I do think that communities should be made aware once a prosecution has been made, for the future when and if offenders return to the area.

I'm genuinely intrigued by these type of activities. I remember when I was younger this kind of thing happened on TV dramas where specialist police officers would do this kind of thing to catch criminals and I thought that it was the kind of thing I would like to do, legally of course.

Do the vigilantes actually help to get convictions though? Is the intent enough to bring charges, or would it not stand up in court because the potential paedophiles are chatting to, and meeting adults?

I don't support vigilante justice because of the risk of mistaken identity and causing harm to innocent people, but i can fully understand why people would do it. I think if I had experienced anything personally, or had a family member affected and thought the police werent doing anything then it would be easy to see the appeal of vigilante justice.

Interesting point Futuristic.

There was an episode of 24 hrs in police custody about some of these hunters. Huge problem for the police and often they totally ruin court cases. I don't think it's the right way to go about catching them.

fancied Issue is that most, if not all, will plead guilty which doesn’t give the courts the opportunity to test the evidence and it is something we have been discussing at work and would be interested in seeing how it pans out.

I would like to see these vigilantes give evidence in court but I doubt anyone them have considered the possibility that they might have to.

I’ve seen this recently - I’m very uncomfortable with it.

I can empathise with their motives for trying to catch these people, but I do agree that they aren't actually helping in the long run.

A family friend's son was sent to prison for online grooming. It was all over the local press and social media, and it's nearly killed her. She's the one left to deal with his shame, he's safely tucked away from it all for many years. She's got a drink problem, is barely functioning and it's horrid to see what she's going through. She had no idea what her son was doing, and yet is the one dealing with it all. Paedophiles deserve no protection or sympathy, but their families are another matter.

What is the "good way" to find out you're married to or related to a paedophile/ephebophile?

What happens when they get it wrong?

The Bijan Ebrahimi incident happened in my local community of the time by people whose children were at our school. Vile people murdered him. Vile people also thought they had done the right thing even now. I’m glad as fuck we are no longer anywhere near Broomhill and its foul legacy. Ebrahimi is a name that must never be forgotten every time anyone thinks it’s right to take action against the local paedo.

Say for example Jon venables ... He's sick in the head. I'd want to be aware of this person if they lived in my area. Do I care about his family? No. Do I care about my children and others children who could be a victim to people like this? Absolutely. So if we strip him of his anonymity, someone is going to beat him up or kill him. We lose all shreds of civilisation if punishment is decided by a mob. We start by deciding it's OK for paedophiles, then we start turning a blind eye at kids being beaten up for anti-social behaviour, and where does it all end?

Nobody has said they have sympathy for 'pedos'.

"Just the other day I read that a paedo that plead guilty had his sentencing adjourned so he could go on holiday."
Where did you read this gem?

I am concerned about anyone that would get this type of information and put it on social media instead of going to the police.