Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

to disagree that "name and shame" policy with paedophiles is wrong and dangerous?

72 replies

Gigantaur · 05/05/2010 10:09

i was sent a request to join a facebook group that is printing names and photo's of apparent convicted paedophiles.

When i had a look at the site some of the ignorance and general scaremongering was ridiculous so i joined so that i could post that what they were doing was dangerous and please could they not publish names on the page as it will inevitably lead to some poor innocent person getting harmed.

I also gave my opinion that I simply do not believe that such actions are anything but harmfull to the police and supporting agencies attempts to moniter and observe these people so as to try and prevent further incidents.

I have been (unsurprisingly) rounded on. now i must admit that at one stage i got so angry at the sheer ognorance of some of the comments that i got my judgy pants on over the content and substance of some of the posts.

but really, am i the only clear thinking person in the land? or, as they tell me, am i merely a "peedo sympethiser" ?

OP posts:

Fluffyone · 05/05/2010 10:13

I think someone will either be seriously injured or killed as a result of this. They might be an innocent case of mistaken identity, they might be a "peedo", but even if they are that still wouldn't make it right.
So no, YANBU, it's terrifying.

Original poster

Gigantaur · 05/05/2010 10:15

d'oh! just re read my thread title. it started off as to disagree with teh name and shame policy. and somehow it evolved.
i of course agree that the name and shame policy is wrong and dangerous.

oh what i wouldn't give for an edit button

OP posts:

mistressploppy · 05/05/2010 10:18

Do you mean you DO think that naming paedophiles is dangerous? Thread title is a bit misleading.

I agree though. Apparently a well respected PAEDIATRICIAN was targeted (hate mail, dog poo through letter box) by illiterate idiots vigilantes not too long ago

RunawayWife · 05/05/2010 10:18

Hanging them would be better

mistressploppy · 05/05/2010 10:19

x-post

Bunnyjo · 05/05/2010 10:22

YANBU.

IMO I am sure these 'name and shame' groups have been set up with good intentions, but the information on them could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. I worry that ex-offenders will be hounded out of society and forced underground - out of site of organisations such as the police and probation service, which are there to monitor them. That, IMO, is a far more dangerous prospect.

Bunnyjo · 05/05/2010 10:23

out of sight silly me!

Original poster

Gigantaur · 05/05/2010 10:24

yes that is true. it was following the Sun's campaign a few years back where they were publishing names and photos and general area's of where they lived. they gave out far too many details.

it simply doesn't help in any way shape or form.

if you saw someone on the list would that suddenly make you not let your child in their house? you shouldn't be allowing your child in the house of a stranger anyway!

its just so simple minded and ignorant. not to mention lazy and down right stupid

OP posts:

SwissMonsterRavingLoonyCheese · 05/05/2010 10:28

It's the vigilanties that are the problem.

I want to know where convicted sex offenders are in my area to keep mine (and other children safe) I have no interest in egging windows, making threats etc and so on.

Unfortunately, the best way to keep our children safe is by allowing them to live in communities,and giving them some sort of purpose in life that way, we know where they are and what theyre doing.

Driving them underground is bloody dangerous for obvious reasons

(Tho if I had my way they'd be packed off to the gas chambers)

wannaBe · 05/05/2010 10:29

no yanbu, the world is full of idiots.

cupcakesandbunting · 05/05/2010 10:44

People who set up these kinds of groups are invariable a bit, well, thick.

Please send us the link so that I too can put my judgey pants on and have a good laugh at the morons. I just hope that no paedatricians get harmed because of this.

gtamom · 05/05/2010 10:46

Link please?

Original poster

Gigantaur · 05/05/2010 10:50

Here

though it outs me entirely.
Im ok with that, but i namechanged for a reason so please, if you could keep it to yourselves

OP posts:

cupcakesandbunting · 05/05/2010 11:00

Are you Chelle Belle? I think I have a girl crush on you

Downdog · 05/05/2010 11:02

paedos are sneaky, cunning, manipulative, egomaniac liars who will invariably do all they can to download images of abuse, make contact with vulnerable children, and even abuse children. Children in photos circulated and collected by these people are real people, children who have been harmed and often kidnapped and taken from their families so these men can abuse them, even kill them and share among themselves documented evidence of the abuse.

I have no sympathy whatsoever for them and would like to see convicted paedos chemically castrated.

Do I want to know if they live next door? Sadly in my experience they do live next dorr to all of us - close to you, and more than likely in every neighbourhood. Does knowing they are there make any difference - not at all. We must assume that they are there and those who have not been uncovered or convicted are probably even more of a threat because they still feel untouchable & invincible. They are all ages, class, races & faces, they might even be a woman.

I HATE that I feel so bloody RIGHT WING about this - I'm not in any other area of my life.

But my life has been poisoned by these people, orbiting around me (and people I know) in my community, and now I have a daughter all I want to do is make sure she never has to deal with this shit.

I don't think these vigilante/groups really achieve anything, and I don't think society is any the better for them - quite the opposite.

But I do understand the attraction of them.

We are trying really hard to deal with something so covert, unknown, manipulative and dangerous - it's virtually impossible as an individual to tackle the issues.

Bunnyjo · 05/05/2010 11:04

Exactly Gigantaur.

There was a case in my apartment block around 18mth ago. This man was a convicted sex offender having abused a 12yr old girl in 1999, but he changed his name and had disappeared many times so wasn't being monitored by any agencies. He was only caught because he committed a further offence against a minor and was also found to have images of children on his computer.

My point is, he lived 2 doors away from me for around 1yr and I had baby/ young toddler at the time (she is now 32mth). He wouldn't have appeared on any 'name and shame' because he had changed his identity so many times and moved up and down the country, but even if he had appeared on one - what possible benefit could I have had from knowing he was a convicted child sex offender, other than to scare me witless?

rubyrubyruby · 05/05/2010 11:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ViveLeCliche · 05/05/2010 11:05

Wasn't there a case of a paeditrician's house being attacked because the vengeful mob thought the job title meant paedophile?

Though I think our criminal justice system is woefully inadequate in dealing with them especially when it comes to sentencing, if we all decided to take the law into our own hands society would break down pretty quickly. I understand the motivation of the name and shame brigade but can't agree with it.

DwellerUnderTheSink · 05/05/2010 11:18

Aren't these convictions and court cases pulled from local papers-anyone could of set this up,am not sure of why this guy has taken it upon himself to this.

I checked the facebook page when I read about this in the news,as I didn't to read about my abuse case on fb.

Thankfully,it's not up there.

Original poster

Gigantaur · 05/05/2010 11:51

I am cupcakes. thanks

Some of the arguments in response to my post are just idiotic. they are totally non sensical.

now they have resorted to name calling.

ooh its just like MN

OP posts:

cupcakesandbunting · 05/05/2010 12:07

Gigantaur, you're right of course, but you're wasting your time trying to reason with these knuckle-draggers. There's nothing that these people love more than having a good ol' foam.

AbsOfCroissant · 05/05/2010 12:16

YANBU
To be honest, there's one photo for each "paedophile", and not particularly good ones at that. What if someone kind of looks like on the people named on there? Are you going to freak out when you see them, are they going to be hounded for having a face similar to a criminal?

Invariably, as others have said, these groups are set up by idiots

differentnameforthis · 05/05/2010 12:21

When I first joined fb I joined a group which was calling for fb to keep 'paedos' off facebook, to keep the kids safe etc.

I merely suggested that as parents, we should be more concerned with keeping an eye on what our children do online, watching who they talked to/how to keep them safe etc. One girl threatened to report me to SS saying that I was covering for perverts, or had something to hide! She sent me messages, got others involved too. I eventually called her on it & she massively backtracked, but not until I had several horrible messages from her & others.

I did sort it out (got her kicked off fb into the bargain & the others - who were mild in comparison - apologised) but it has kinda made me weary of joining groups & posting. It is amazing how ignorant some people are! So now I don't join groups that I would not make a contribution to.

The others, I report if I feel it necessary or ignore completely!

Morloth · 05/05/2010 12:25

2 problems (probably a lot more but these occurred to me first).

1, how can people be 100% sure they are naming and shaming the correct person?

2, surely better to keep these creeps where they can be seen rather than driving the under the radar.

booyhoo · 05/05/2010 12:28

gigantaur those are great responses you gave.

unfortunately i dont think it will have any positive effect on the people on that page.

i have images of them stalking the streets in gangs at night with burning torches and drool hanging out of their mouths.

Flip

1 2 3