Senior police officers have warned that self-styled paedophile hunters, who pose as children online to catch potential sexual predators, are diverting significant police resources into protecting suspects and risking the destruction of crucial evidence.
Ch Con Simon Bailey, the national policing lead on child abuse investigation, said the groups' activities could jeopardise ongoing investigations. 'Revealing the identity of suspected paedophiles gives the suspect the opportunity to destroy evidence before the police can investigate them,' he said. He also warned that wrongful allegations could have grave consequences for those accused, including the risk of suicide.
Bailey's comments follow an incident at Bluewater shopping centre in Kent on Easter Sunday, where a group called The Hunted One livestreamed a confrontation with a man they accused of grooming a child. The video showed members of the public punching and kicking the man. Kent police later charged two men with affray and a third with grooming.
Bailey said such incidents could lead to suspects 'going missing or raising concerns for their safety. This can divert significant resources into protecting suspects, which would be better invested in investigating and, where there is evidence, prosecuting them.'
The phenomenon gained attention in 2014 after a Channel 4 documentary followed Stinson Hunter and his associates. That year, an inquest heard that Michael Parkes, 45, killed himself after being confronted and filmed by Hunter. Parkes had been arrested but not charged.
Despite police criticism, groups like The Hunted One and Dark Justice claim high conviction rates. The Hunted One says it has conducted about 56 stings with a 100% conviction rate. A recent court ruling found that such groups are not required to be governed by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, as they act as private citizens.
