Force says ‘paedophile hunters’ don’t protect ‘real children’

Vigilante groups who expose paedophiles on the internet have been advised to stop taking the law into their own hands. Kent Police has warned that the vigilante groups’ activities, including pretending to be children in internet forums and confronting people who ask to meet them, can hinder investigations and lead to offenders walking free. Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Richards, head of the force’s public protection unit, said it also diverts resources from dealing with cases involving real children. Kent-based paedophile hunter group ‘The Hunted One’ claims to have caught 57 people, leading to 27 convictions. However, Det Chief Supt Richards said: “There have been zero cases in Kent where a vigilante paedophile hunter group has identified an individual who has at that stage presented a real risk to a real child. “In the last two financial years, vigilante groups in Kent have contributed to 20 individuals being arrested but my resources alone in the same period have arrested 299 people.” Ben Bleach of The Hunted One said he could not understand why “a child has to be raped” before action is taken. On April 16, the vigilante group confronted a man after a number of members spoke to him online while posing as a teenage girl. The incident at Bluewater shopping centre in Kent was livestreamed to Facebook before they called the police. During the stream, a group of men who were watching the Facebook video turned up and began attacking the man before officers arrived at the scene. The Hunted One has since posted a statement saying it will no longer be “going live” for stings. Lee John Harvey, 20, from Gravesend, and Joe Simpkin, 20, from Erith, both pleaded guilty to affray at Medway Magistrates’ Court on May 10. They will be sentenced in June. Simon Bailey, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on child abuse, said vigilante groups who reveal the identity of suspected paedophiles online could give suspects “the opportunity to destroy evidence before the police can investigate them”.