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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to think paedo hunter gangs aren't necessarily a good thing?

104 replies

GhostPerfume · 19/08/2018 17:01

I am torn on this. I have a lot of friends who share these posts on facebook, I have never shared them and do not follow their pages.

I was sexually abused by a teacher growing up - I am in no way a paedophile sympathiser AT ALL. Just before someone comes on and flames me!

What worries me is the families of these people - they are often filmed at their family home. Also I tend not to watch the videos of the "stings" that people share but I watched one today as it was very local to me. The gang seemed to have a huge stack of evidence and they apprehended the suspect and called the police. It is what happened after that I am struggling with. They then spent the whole time until the police came repeatedly goading the offender. They kept repeating "We won't hurt you unless you hurt us/run away" But I felt like they were goading them into that. 4 of them standing round shouting and swearing, shouting if they didn't answer, then if they did answer they mocked the answer and said it was the wrong thing to have said. There is NOTHING the suspect can do to justify their actions, (rightly,they often admit it and there is no way they can have any reason)

Members of the public who comment saying to stop shouting and swearing in public get a mouthful from the gang threatening to put their faces on the live facebook feed, and whipping up crazy levels of anger from those watching online who then make threats to the passers by.

The gang seem to be made up of people who have had no official training at all.

On the other hand these "stings" often do result in prosecutions of the offender. The police do not have the man power/resources to do all this work. But the way they go about it really is getting OTT, swaggering about shouting "we are on a sting FUCK off anyone who doesn't agree is a paedo sympathiser"

I can share the link to the one that was near me that I mean where they seemed to be repeatedly goading the man into wanting him to fight so they could have a reason to batter him. Not sure if I am allowed to share the link. (The man was admitting it and IMO is an utterly VILE human who deserves prison) but they could have stood quietly with him while waiting for police instead it was them screaming and shouting and causing a huge scene.

OP posts:

YeTalkShiteHen · 19/08/2018 19:29

The whole reason we have laws is to avoid mob rule. The people who like the idea of vigilantes: you’d feel different if YOU were wrongly accused and in fear of your life

This nails it for me. They’ve made mistakes before, especially the Facebook live glory hunters. What then?

RichPetunia · 19/08/2018 19:31

Bitch Queen 90 - my sentiments exactly.

HelpmeobiMN · 19/08/2018 19:32

Of course they aren’t a good thing. They’re vigilantes, and often ill informed ones at that.

kalinkafoxtrot45 · 19/08/2018 19:33

Mob rule and pitchfork squads are never a good thing. And they mess up real police investigations. It’s macho posturing and has the potential to cause terrible harm where there is mistaken identity or where innocent family members are attacked too.

Pappybear · 19/08/2018 19:36

They're a terrible thing. They have an agenda that goes beyond justice.

Luglio · 19/08/2018 19:38

Men who get aroused by violence are never a good thing.

Remember Lear IV vi:

Thou rascal beadle, hold thy bloody hand.
Why dost thou lash that whore? Strip thine own back.
Thou hotly lust’st to use her in that kind
For which thou whipp’st her.

YeTalkShiteHen · 19/08/2018 19:40

Men who get aroused by violence are never a good thing

This too!

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 19/08/2018 19:41

They're sickening. I don't doubt that some of those involved are one and the same as those who catcall and gawp at schoolgirls.

The police need more resources allocated and as far as I'm concerned, they can lock up these attention seeking paedo-hunt gangs at the same time.

We need more policing and a quicker, more agile judicial system.

Thesearepearls · 19/08/2018 19:42

There was the incident where a paediatrician was targeted because they confused the word with paedophile

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4719364.stm

IhatetheArchers · 19/08/2018 19:44

I'd rather they spend their energies educating young people and parents about staying safe online. But no 'glory' in that.

Daftenough22 · 19/08/2018 19:56

NC for this,
I don't believe in vigilante behaviour, however pedophile hunters exposed a guy, who had abused my sister when she was 3, he was a kid at the time only 9 years old himself. My parents told his parents. told school and then kept their distance, what's awful is to see he never got any counselling or support or anything happen to him and I'm sure he has hurt a great many others over the following twenty years.
As far as I'm concerned the hunters are the only thing that have bought a guy I know and his parents know of child abuse off the streets and he's now serving a prison sentence as the article was in the national news and other victims felt they could come forward that hadn't previously.

Daftenough22 · 19/08/2018 19:56

Coldilox · 19/08/2018 20:00

Police detective here. These groups are, at best, a pain in the arse and at worst bloody dangerous.

Sandsnake · 19/08/2018 20:01

I can’t imagine they’re a good thing. There’s no need for the Facebook publication and I can definitely see how they could get in the way of police under cover jobs and / or jeopardise prosecutions. I get the impression, as others have said, that many behind them have self-serving motives.

The only really good point of them I can think of is the deterrent factor. I would imagine that the worry that they may be being stung by hunters may be enough to stop some paedophiles from trying to arrange to meet vulnerable children.

Featherbag · 19/08/2018 20:14

An acquaintance was 'snared' by one of these gangs. It was all over Facebook, in the Daily Mail, the lot. His family were abused, his parents had their home attacked. And it was all bollocks!!! He's not a paedophile, the police took no action after a thorough investigation, the professional bodies he's registered with also investigated and declined to strike him from their registers. He's innocent, but his life is in bits and the impact on his family has been profound. I wonder how many more like him are out there?

StatisticallyChallenged · 19/08/2018 20:15

We had one of these kick off near us a few weeks ago - they'd "trapped" a guy who works at a local after school club. So they decided the ideal place to do their confrontation was...outside the school as he was arriving for work, so very shortly before all of the kids were due to come out.

Turned in to a massive song and dance, school ended up having to take the guy inside (to a staff room, supervised, no access to kids) to prevent the kids seeing violence. Police were called. Loads of people online calling for the headteachers head on a stick for "protecting the paedo"...complete mess.

Last I heard he has been charged but what happens once it gets to court is anyone's guess.

Iknowwhoyouare123 · 19/08/2018 20:27

I'm also one who's suspicious of these 'hunters'. A bit too much 'look over there!' for my liking.

Plus as already said, men aroused by violence who see it as a socially appropriate outlet for their rage.

lalalalyra · 19/08/2018 21:50

They do more damage to innocent people than they do good imo. There's a poor guy in my town whose life was wrecked by them. Our street backs onto another that's basically identical. These 'hunters' marched up to his door and yelled at his wife that she was married to a paedo and did she know, was she protecting him etc. All played out on Facebook. They had the wrong street. So wrong guy. That was several years ago and there is still an issue every halloween (we do street parties) with people locally spouting the "no smoke without fire" thing about the poor man who just happened to live at the same door number as someone accused (who was also cleared by the police).

Goth237 · 20/08/2018 15:33

I would also like to insert a probably unpopular idea here. I think that they should be given the opportunity to come forward, before they've done anything/hurt anyone, and be given psychological help. They are ill people, it's not normal behaviour and clearly a mental health problem. If they could hand themselves in to some authority who would give them the proper help, and they'd always be monitored etc. then I think that'd be a good thing.

Goth237 · 20/08/2018 15:35

I hadn't even thought- as a PP said, they could absolutely hinder an undercover investigation.

BeefyCakes · 20/08/2018 15:46

These vigilante groups don't care about the victims of abuse, they want the glory of catching someone.

They hinder active police investigations and have ensured that guilty people have escaped justice because of their actions. And they seem as thick as mince so couldn't explain this to them, even using crayons.

YeTalkShiteHen · 20/08/2018 15:54

I think that they should be given the opportunity to come forward, before they've done anything/hurt anyone, and be given psychological help.

I disagree that it’s mental health BUT I am fully in favour of giving the opportunity to seek help to prevent offences.

Gilead · 20/08/2018 15:55

Happened to a Doctor friend, exposed by a gang, same as others, all over Facebook etc. He was suffering with depression at the time. He killed himself. He was totally innocent and had a similar name to someone they were hunting. Bastards!

YeTalkShiteHen · 20/08/2018 16:00

Gilead they should have been charged with manslaughter, how awful!

I’m sorry about your friend

PlayingGrownUp · 20/08/2018 16:04

I once came home to a group of angry men around the corner waiting for ‘their man’ to come home so they could ‘do a raid’.

On my house. When I pointed out it was my house they said I was lying and one charmer said I was covering for the paedo and should be taped to feel what the kids feel. Had to call the cops and luckily it was dealt with quickly.

The guy they were looking for was the guy we bought the house off and he hadn’t lived there in years.

I just dread to think what would have happened if my boyfriend came home first.

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