To think this is not right?

[changedusernameforthis]

To cut a long story short I used to work in an HE environment which closed down a couple of years ago.

Shortly afterwards one of the lecturers (who was well thought of at the uni) was found guilty of grooming an underage girl online. It was done via one of these groups who catch people out so he didn't actually meet a real 15 year old but had spoken explicitly to someone who claimed to be 15 and clearly had every intention of meeting her and having sex with her, had she been a real 15 year old girl and not someone catching out groomers online.

I blocked this bloke on all social media and he tried to contact me via LinkedIn and I blocked him there too. Tonight I've found out that almost all of our ex-colleagues have continued to be in contact with him on social media and, I'm assuming, in real life too. Some of these people still work in educational settings.

I was shocked by this. Am I over reacting?

Yanbu. Are they friends of yours?

Of course Yanbu! You can't know how the other people justify still being friends with him, unless you ask them. But I would be doing as you have done. What a creep!

Has he actually been convicted of the offence or has it just been splashed all over Facebook? If it's the latter some people may be of the opinion he is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Personally, I would do as you're doing, block and avoid him. Surely if he has actually been convicted of something like this he shouldn't be on social media anyway?! Which makes me question if he has or not.

@Fatted yes he's been convicted and got 6 months suspended sentence and agreed to go to therapy.

I'm glad it's not just me who thinks it's weird that people are still interacting with him.

@thecatinthetwat they aren't friends in the truest sense, just ex colleagues. The people I consider friends have all done the same as I have and blocked him.

What actual offence was he convicted of?

Even with a suspended sentence, I would expect someone to be given a Sexual Harm prevention order preventing them from going online with this kind of thing.

No but you can’t control other people

I've just googled and the charge was 'attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.' And the sentence was actually 4 months suspended sentence and '10 days’ rehabilitation and take part in a sex-offenders’ treatment programme. He was also ordered to sign on the sex-offenders’ register for seven years.'

Yanbu. I was groomed as a young teenager, and it has had a massive effect on my mental health. It still affects me now.
There’s no way I’d have any contact with someone that had been found guilty of that.

Sadly, I find this predictable.

People go into denial, people explain it away, people blame the victim, people minimise it. I expect in this scenario people have gone down the "there was no victim, it was entrapment" route.

Because firstly we live in a toxic culture that perpetuates sexual abuse, and secondly it makes people feel unsafe to realise that somebody who they really liked, who was charming and they always felt safe with was actually capable of such horrendous acts yet they saw no warning signs. That he didn't look like a monster.

So they'd rather believe it wasn't true because then the world is safe again and they can trust their judgement about other people and keep taking seemingly charming people at face value.

@Keepthebloodynoisedown I'm so sorry this happened to you 

@caballerino I think that you're absolutely right.

But these people are supposedly intelligent and trained re:safeguarding and know that the protection of the victim or potential victim is paramount. Some of them still work in universities and other settings with young or vulnerable people. I am rocked by this as it just makes me wonder how many other settings who have trained people well (I consider that the setting trained me well) still haven't managed to get through to their employees how serious this is.

I know of someone who was convicted after a great deal of child pornography was found on their computer. Totally 'normal' guy from the outside.

After he was released, his parents took him in. He was married with two DC, obviously he now has zero contact with the children and his wife divorced him. He lost his job and can't find another.

I mean that's incredible his parents took him in but I don't know if I could in their position.

let him rot elsewhere

changedusernameforthis sorry OP I forgot to odd - I can totally understand and I'd feel the same.

Continuing to be friends with someone like that implies some level of either sympathy or minimisation of their crime; neither are appealing reasons.