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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To report this to the police?

175 replies

Hardbackwriter · 09/08/2020 20:49

Today I happened to click on the neighborhood FB place for where I used to live until a few weeks ago (which is a not very nice/slightly rough area - this may or may not be relevant). The top post, with many comments and 'angry face' reactions is someone saying that someone living in the area is a convicted paedophile. In the comments someone has included a screenshot of a news story relating to his conviction (the crimes involved are obviously sickening), his name, his approximate address and his photo. While obviously not in any way condoning what he has done, this has really worried me - the comments make me think there's a pretty high chance of people taking vigilante action, though no one actually goes as far as saying they will do this. I went to report it through the police online reporting system and this made me doubt myself, though - it asks a lot about the crime, the victim, etc and I don't think I have witnessed a crime or a victim, more a potential one, but if you click 'no' to 'have you witnessed or been victim to a crime' it redirects you out of the reporting system. AIBU to think this is a matter that is worth reporting?

OP posts:
itsgettingweird · 09/08/2020 22:12

@Eatyourbanana

Op asked if she was BU to report it, I think she was. Maybe if she had seen an actual act of violence... I still wouldn’t but could sort of understand her reporting that - an actual crime.

It’s all well & good to say he has done his time and deserves to live in peace but you just are going to get people who disagree with you on this topic. Not because they’re common, angry, violent vigilantes but because they have children to protect & his crimes are, as the OP put it.. sickening.

But has he done his time or has someone who looks like him?

Why are you so sure that in this case it cannot possibly be mistaken identity.

If this person is who they are accusing him to be then the police need to be aware so vigilantes don't run him underground.

If he isn't then they need to be aware to protect him for other reasons.

Lives are destroyed by this type of thing. Ignoring it isn't the answer.

itsgettingweird · 09/08/2020 22:16

And eat if you bother to read OPs posts she says this is a picture taken 8 years ago of someone who could be this man. Who lived in a different town and is a different name.

Again. How would you feel if someone make in your family looked like a convicted oeadphile who was photographed a decade ago and plastered all over a FB?

Wouldn't you want relevant authorities involved and helping?

Pobblebonk · 09/08/2020 22:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LillianBland · 09/08/2020 22:18

[quote oakleaffy]@LillianBland
Agree. It is terrifying how many child abusers and violent people there are, of either gender, in our communities.

The vigilantes seeking to be 'heroes' while hiding murky pasts/presents give me the creeps.

Well vetted and qualified staff are needed... Not flaming pitchforks .
I heard of a story that made me weep of an innocent man beaten to death, in a case of 'mistaken identity'..on the say so of some women who ''got the wrong person''.
vigilanteism isn't good.
We have to guard our children ourselves...keep them safe.. and educate them to tell us if anything happens that makes them feel remotely uncomfortable.[/quote]
It is horrible, how prevalent child abusers are and I totally agree with your comments regarding vigilantes. I have absolutely no respect for them.

Pobblebonk · 09/08/2020 22:20

No crime has been committed? Not even a threat has been made by the sound of it. The police won’t be able to do anything

A rather major part of the function of the police is the prevention of crime.

LioneIRichTea · 09/08/2020 22:21

The issue with these situations is that in amongst the “alleged nonce” there are often completely innocent families living who have to be taken from their homes because randoms are standing outside with bricks and threatening to torch the place.

Yes, remember that Paediatrician who was mistaken for a paedophile.

FlyingPandas · 09/08/2020 22:21

As others have said my concern would be mistaken identity, rather than concern for the welfare of any confirmed paeodophile.

Unfortunately, rightly or wrongly, the vast majority of vigilante types might be well meaning, angry, have hearts in the right place, want to protect children etc but they are very often of the "poor level of education and low level of intelligence" aka thick as mince variety.

I remember an attack reported years ago by a vigilante mob baying for blood just after the tragic Sarah Payne case. An attack was carried out on an individual who was a known.....paediatrician.

The vigiliantes were so fucking goddamned stupid they genuinely an d honestly thought that 'paedophile' and 'paediatrician' were one and the same Shock Angry

This is the issue with this kind of stuff. Not that known paedophiles who have committed the crime might get attacked. But that the baying mob could target the wrong person.

KerbsideViolet · 09/08/2020 22:21

You’ve done the right thing OP.

oakleaffy · 09/08/2020 22:21

Just google ''Mistaken identity'' killings and severe injuries.

Many years ago, my DH had a client who had recently moved to the area.
The door knocked in the evening, and the Client answered it... only to be knifed repeatedly in the chest.

Police think it was a case of 'mistaken identity'...given the address.
The client lived, but was severely traumatised...and moved as soon as he could to a different address.

FlyingPandas · 09/08/2020 22:22

@LionelRichTea cross posted, great minds etc etc.

Yup, to some people a paedo is a paedo, regardless of whether they're a sex offender or, erm, you know, a children's doctor.

englishrosie · 09/08/2020 22:22

I hate nonce sympathisers more than I hate vigilantism.

LillianBland · 09/08/2020 22:24

@englishrosie

I hate nonce sympathisers more than I hate vigilantism.
Good for you. It’s a good job there are none on this thread then, isn’t it? 🙄
impossiblenottodo · 09/08/2020 22:24

I do not condone vigilante action but this was sharing information?

I don't think the criminal justice system has much success in rehabilitating anyone and isn't well resourced to monitor those in the community who pose a risk. I don't think sentences for serious crimes adequately restrict the liberty of those convicted of harming children. So i think its understandable that people share information.

I think there is a risk that those with liberal values are dismissing legitimate fears.

itsgettingweird · 09/08/2020 22:25

@englishrosie

I hate nonce sympathisers more than I hate vigilantism.
And what do you think of vigilantes who mistake an innocent peadiatrician for a paedophile?

Because in cases this this is isn't just 2 sides.

There's the innocent people who also get hurt because take the law into their own hands.

Illdealwithitinaminute · 09/08/2020 22:26

I was looking to buy a property recently. Did I choose one at the top of a road where there was a block of flats with the words PEADO spray painted on them, or did I think the rule of law and sensible people are in short supply in this neighbourhood and move somewhere else? That type of vigilantism goes wrong, and is usually indicative of an unpleasant rough place to live where people like to dispense their own justice. No thanks. I completely agree that police should be able to alert families to paedophiles living in the area, but a local FB page, it's not going to end well.

MartySouth · 09/08/2020 22:26

It's worth noting that there are reams and reams of internet articles detailing incidents whereby men are beaten or even killed having been misidentified as 'nonces' principally because these "Crusaders for the Kiddies" are often profoundly stupid mouth-breathers

This absolutely.

I find this thread a bit shocking. What on earth is the point of displaying your hatred of pedos or accusing OP of being a pedo apologist? This is MN. 99.99999% of the people on here hate pedos (including the OP, as she makes clear). But in a civilised society the law takes care of law breakers not facebookers.

itsgettingweird · 09/08/2020 22:26

@impossiblenottodo

I do not condone vigilante action but this was sharing information?

I don't think the criminal justice system has much success in rehabilitating anyone and isn't well resourced to monitor those in the community who pose a risk. I don't think sentences for serious crimes adequately restrict the liberty of those convicted of harming children. So i think its understandable that people share information.

I think there is a risk that those with liberal values are dismissing legitimate fears.

This wasnt sharing information. Why can't people read threads properly?

There is a newspaper article width a picture taken in 2012 of a man who looks fairly generic and also like this man in this block of flats.
The man who was convicted was from a different town and they have different names.

This is possibly a case of 2 + 2 makes 5.

chrislilleyswig · 09/08/2020 22:27

@HJ372

If I knew a pedo was at risk of harm there's no way I'd be calling the police to protect them.

If you would... well... won't say what I think of you.

Awww go on. Say it
Intelinside57 · 09/08/2020 22:33

Well done Op.
I'm shocked at the number of people thinking that this should have been left alone and who are too stupid to understand that actions such as this can lead to murder. Mistaken identity or not.

R1R2 · 09/08/2020 22:34

@englishrosie

I hate nonce sympathisers more than I hate vigilantism.
Do you hate when a law abiding citizen is injured and killed because dumbfuckerson thought they looked like "that nonce off facie"
BananaPop2020 · 09/08/2020 22:35

@itsgettingweird it’s interesting that you think the CJS lacks the ability to manage people - I can certainly say that the lack of support evident in threads like this makes our job a lot harder.

ComeOnBabyPopMyBubble · 09/08/2020 22:44

I wonder how many posters would say the same thing if the picture circulated was of their brother,father,husband,son?

How would they feel if their windows were bashed in by bricks, or their innocent relative attacked or murdered on the say so of FB.

Would they excuse anyone who knew about the attack because they're obviously not paedo sympathisers?

All that group has a generic looking man from a mug shot 8 years ago, with a different name and location. They have decided it's x that lives in block y.

Are you 100% that x is paedophile?

itsgettingweird · 09/08/2020 22:44

[quote BananaPop2020]@itsgettingweird it’s interesting that you think the CJS lacks the ability to manage people - I can certainly say that the lack of support evident in threads like this makes our job a lot harder.[/quote]
I don't think that at all and have no idea where you've got that idea from Confused

I've said that it should be left for those who are monitoring him if it's actually him because they will the ones able to make sure he's not urn underground. I said they are probably already aware if page but no harm reporting if it flash it immediately and prevents harm to someone.

I think you've totally mis interpreted me Grin

itsgettingweird · 09/08/2020 22:45

I've been advocating against vigilantes who may have a case of mistaken identity.

MartySouth · 09/08/2020 22:47

Our local FB group doesn't allow posts like this or posts with people sharing CCTV images of 'suspicious looking' people at their door. It's not just because of cases of mistaken identity but people sometimes deliberately maliciously post pictures of people they dislike or have a vendetta against for no good reason.

I live in a high crime area but our local FB group nevertheless insists that nothing like that gets posted unless it has already been reported and approved for sharing by the police (with crime number). And I am very happy with that rule.