A vigilante gang has been finding suspected pedophiles online and assaulting them

[Jazzy]

A group of vigilantes who lure suspected pedophiles in to fake meetings with under age girls then violently assault them are being hunted by police.

The are also known to film the beating meted out on their victims and use the footage to blackmail them, sometimes even posting the videos to Facebook.

Police are investigating several instances of people receiving beatings of this kind which they believe may be linked, and have arrested two men on suspicion of child sex grooming after they were assaulted.

The first incident occurred on Friday when a 19-year-old man arranged to met with a girl he believed to be 14 in Atherton.

Upon arrival he was set upon by the gang who filmed themselves beating him up, however he managed to get away.

When he returned home he found the gang had contacted him demanding money and threatening to upload the video to Facebook if he didn’t pay up.

Police believe the same gang is behind another attack on Saturday, where a 25-year-old man was again lured in to meeting with a fictitious 14-year-old girl.

This time the beating took place in the middle of the day in front of horrified shoppers.

He too escaped and ran to a police station to inform them what had happened, at which point he was arrested.

Detective Inspector Charlotte Cadden, of the Bolton division of Greater Manchester Police, said: ‘I want to make it clear that grooming and arranging to meet up with children you have met over the internet is a criminal offence and if you are caught doing this you will be arrested and prosecuted.

‘It is unacceptable that this group are posing as underage girls and meeting up with men with the view to either blackmailing them or attacking them in the street.’

Source

Thoughts?

 

[DirtRider]

Well at times one evil is better than another and this seems to fit the bill.

 

[Jazzy]

They're probably doing a better job than the cops are at finding these pedophiles. I don't agree with assaulting them and then blackmailing them. This group could help nab these guys by luring them, cuffing them to a chair, and calling the cops.

 

[Hsin]

On the one hand this is brutal but it is protecting kids from possible attacks, so I cant say I feel too bad for these 'victims' of vigilantes.