Publically outing a sex offender / peadophile on social media

[rosegoldivy]

This morning DH said to me he had seen something on Facebook that had stated that a sex offender / paedophile had moved into an address a few streets away from us. I asked how he knew this and he said that something had been shared on facebook. He openly joked about how people would be going round to have a word with the guy and said it seemed from comments that it looked like his door had already been kicked in by angry residents.

I went on to facebook to have a nosey (obviously) and found the post he was talking about.

It was from one of those vigilante groups and they had named and shamed the individual, given details of his past crime (molested a child several years ago when he was 15) and gave his full address. From reading the comments on the post it was clear his door had been vandalised and kicked in then further down in the comments it came out that the address that was publically outed was not his address but actually a member of his family’s address and that young children live there. The sex offender actually lives in a town nearby but had been visiting. (why he had been visiting a house with young kids after his past I don’t understand)

So my AIBU is more that I don’t think the vigilante group should have shared a full address on social media without knowing all the details. Yes named the street so residents were aware but giving out the full address I think is a bit much especially in this case when the sex offender doesn’t live there and in fact there is a family living there who have now been subject to violence.

Thoughts?

The vigilante group should be locked up.

He openly joked about how people would be going round to have a word with the guy and said it seemed from comments that it looked like his door had already been kicked in by angry residents.

You're married to an arsehole. A stupid one.

Vigilante groups often get things wrong, have no access to actual official information, regularly target innocent people and jeopardise the investigations and trials of actual sex offenders, sometimes resulting in Los of undercover police operations, evidence or even convictions.

Pitchfork mentality. Awful.
Your dh is a knob.

My thoughts are that vigilante groups help no one ,they often get it wrong or put cases reaching trial into jeopardy, they care little about the actual crime and only about their only glory, and we should leave justice to the police and courts not social media.

t I don’t think the vigilante group should have shared a full address on social media without knowing all the details. Yes named the street so residents were aware but giving out the full address I think is a bit much especially in this case when the sex offender doesn’t live there and in fact there is a family living there who have now been subject to violence.

"Bit much"?! Is this a wind up?

It's a bit worse than a "bit much".

NO PART of the address or details should be shared, not least because this illicit information is so often wrong, as it has proved in this case.

Leave criminal justice to the professionals.

I’m reminded of the vigilante group that vandalised a woman’s house because she was a paediatrician

I don't like those vigilante groups because I'm sure they don't take any responsibility when they do make a mistake. Life will be very hard for that family now because they chose to keep in touch with that family member. They'll prob have to move because some people won't read the story properly and will decide the homeowner is guilty.

I absolutely refuse to share messages like that because they are often based on wrong information, even malicious fake reports. Nothing like an accusation of paedophilia to get everyone baying for blood, even if there is no proof. Your husband should learn from this and leave justice to the professionals.

I’ve got to say whilst I appreciate people wanting to know that there is a sex offender living near their children...(I would!) I am strongly opposed to Vigilante groups. They regularly hinder the legal process and are not privy to facts. I truly despise the whole Facebook vigilante mob.

@Duchessgummybuns PAEDIATRICIAN I am cackling 😂 poor thing

I work in law (not UK) and almost every case I have been involved in like this has fallen apart. Vigilante groups, stings, posting "caught in the act" videos online.
Quite often the people involved in them are semi criminals themselves.

Oh god duchess I remember that well.

Inciting violence is a crime.
Kicking people’s doors in is a crime.
Facebook warriors who put their names to inciting violence could (and should) find themselves prosecuted.

@rubbertreeplant i fully agree with both points. i dont think that they should be sharing anything about it on facebook at all and fully agree DH is an arsehole.

the comments on the post about what individuals had planned to do to the address where absolutly vile and then when it transpired that it was not the sex offenders address, people could not care less. stating the family was associated with a sex offender and that was bad enough

That's terrible! He could have been a young person with social/learning difficulties when he offended if it's even true! Mob rule is disgusting!

I hope you have already reported the post to the Police. The man could be killed.

I'd screenshot the FB post and email it to local police. Or tag the police in or something. "Words of advice" from the police to the ringleaders might nip their vigilante efforts in the bud.

There will be a tragedy sooner or later.

Yes, unfortunately a lot of the people enacting 'justice' through these vigilantly groups are criminals with long records themselves.

I don't agree with people doing this. I know first hand of a poor woman who's house was broken into and vandalised on a number of occasions because it was wrongfully posted on Facebook as being where a sex offender lived. She was on the brink of suicide because of it.

What people don't realise is that sometimes it's not about protecting the offender in these things, but also the victim. Like the example of a 15YO offender, it's highly likely his victim was a much younger person close to him, possibly a relative. It doesn't take long for people to put stuff together. Would you like the entire world to know that you were sexually abused as a child?!

@polPotNoodle @RubberTreePlant i had actually thought about doing that on the way to work. would it just be best to phone 101 and give the details?

@PulyaSochsup exactly there was not much posted about the details of the crime, just his full name and address and that he had been released from prison

@Rose, I am unfortunately quite aware of these things as something similar happened to a friend's DS, he had years of therapy and input and was beginning to make some meaningful contributions to the world. It doesn't change or excuse what he did but in our society people are supposed to be able to make changes to their lives after paying their debt to society.
It's a horrible tragedy for the victims, the families and often for the offenders themselves, especially because of pitchfork mentalities. Very sad.

A rumour spread in my local town a few years that Jon Venables worked in a Pizza Hut on the edge of town. Not sure if he actually did, but I do know that a totally innocent young man who happened to be a similar age was hounded for weeks: house and car vandalised, he was harassed and eventually beaten up. Vigilante mobs are just groups of thugs imo.

Completely agree with PP, screenshot the post and call 101 as soon as possible.

The paediatrician thing never happened, it's an urban myth.