Dramatic moment 'paedophile hunter' vigilante confronts potential sex attacker he had lured to his home by posing as a child online
Stinson Hunter, 31, (right) based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire,
works with his team to entrap internet perverts - including soldiers,
teachers and solicitors - by posing as underage boys and girls. In this
clip, Hunter and one of his fellow undercover vigilantes are seen
poised for action with a camera (middle and top left) as they wait for
one of their suspects. As the man walks in, one of the men asks the
suspect to explain himself, before clicking away in a bid to expose him.
But the man - who is not seen on camera - flees from the scene,
sparking a sudden chase (bottom left) which is captured on the shaky,
hand-held camera. The two men shout for him to stop, promising him the
information will be handed to the police. A film due to air tomorrow on
Channel 4 focuses on the self-styled web vigilante, whose method have
already led to 10 paedophiles being convicted.
Dramatic moment 'paedophile hunter' vigilante confronts potential sex attacker he had lured to his home by posing as a child online
- C4 film to air tomorrow focuses on self-styled web vigilante Stinson Hunter
- He entraps internet perverts including teachers by posing as underage child
- Footage shows Hunter's team ask a suspect to explain his alleged crime
- The man fled, sparking chase which was captured on shaky hand-held video
- In another clip, team shown setting up a trap to catch suspected offender
- Evidence from former drug addict from Nuneaton has helped 10 convictions
- One man who was tracked down by the 31-year-old took his own life
- Former head of child protection agency said the film had important lessons
This
is the dramatic moment a self-styled 'paedophile hunter' confronted a
potential sex attacker who he had lured to a house by posing as a child
online.
Vigilante
Stinson Hunter, who is based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, works with his
team to entrap internet perverts - including soldiers, teachers and
solicitors - by posing as underage boys and girls.
In
this dramatic clip, undercover vigilantes from Hunter's team were seen
poised for action with a camera while they waited for one of the
suspects.
When
the man walked in, one of the vigilantes asked the suspect to explain
himself, before starting to click away with his camera in a bid to
expose him.
Scroll down for video
In action: A clip from the documentary
'Paedophile Hunter' shows Stinson Hunter and his team confronting a
suspected paedophile after they lured him to a house so they could ask
him about his alleged crime
Hunting down: In the dramatic footage,
one man stood poised with his camera and waited for the man to enter in
a bid to expose him
But
the man - who was not seen on camera - fled from the scene, sparking a
sudden chase which was captured on a shaky, hand-held camera.
The two men shouted for him to stop, promising him the information would be handed to the police.
One of the men was then heard saying: 'Sir, I suggest you stop and talk, your information is going to be handed to the police'.
The clip sets the tone for the remainder of the Paedophile Hunter, a one-hour film to be shown tomorrow night on Channel 4.
It follows the 31-year-old and his team as they track down suspects through the internet and dating apps.
Hunter
told the documentary each of the team has a 'defined role'. Grime, who
features heavily in the documentary, is the 'tech guy', responsible for
ensuring the videos are filmed and edited properly.
But the man - who was not seen on camera - ran from the property when he realised he could be exposed
The men
were heard shouting: 'Sir, I suggest you stop and talk, your information
is going to be handed to the police,' while they chased him with a
shaky, hand-held video
The
vigilantes usually pose as boys or girls in their early teens. Once
they are sent explicit messages and videos by the men, the team lure
them to a house to meet up.
There,
they are filmed with handheld cameras and mobile phones and told to
explain themselves. The messages and footage are handed to police.
So
far, Hunter has filmed confrontations with dozens of men including
soldiers, teachers and solicitors and seen his evidence help in 10
convictions.
During
the documentary, the team was also filmed setting up a trap to catch
the suspected offender. One of the team was filmed following a black
taxi, while speaking on the phone to two of his colleagues.
Meanwhile,
those two vigilantes were filmed nervously peering through the blinds
while they waited for the arrival of a taxi at a nearby home.
Footage from the documentary shows members of the team poised for action before one of their stings
While one of the team followed the
suspect who is travelling to the house in a taxi, others waited inside,
nervously peering through the blinds until he arrives
They are filmed waiting in a house
where they stand with handheld cameras and mobile phones, reading to
confront the alleged paedophile
When
one shouted 'Taxi's here', the pair - one equipped with a camera - put
themselves into position and waited to confront the man when he arrived
at the front door.
Hunter's
methods have been both praised and criticised. Stinson's methods came
under fire last year after one man who he confronted, 45-year-old
Michael Parkes, took his own life.
Jim Gamble (pictured) said online vigilantes were 'shooting fish in a barrel' by using covert stings
But
Jim Gamble, the former head of the Child Exploitation and Online
Protection Centre (Ceop), said the former drug addict provided a lesson
in how people could trap paedophiles with 'very little training'.
He said: 'Some people with very little training are proving just how easy it is to go out there and catch individuals.
'They are able to go online with little or no training and very quickly they’re shooting fish in a barrel.
'The
fact of the matter is this, that needs to be done by law enforcement
and whilst I don’t see any justification in reality for vigilantes doing
what they do I think it provides the evidence for the Government, if
it’s needed, that actually this works.'
He
added he understood the 'frustration' that drove the self-styled
investigative journalist, who lives in the Coventry area and says he
witnessed abuse as a child, to target suspected predators.
But
Mr Gamble insisted the vigilante's actions created 'a risk' to himself
and other people, and were not the most appropriate way forward.
But there have been controversies, particularly in the case of Mr Parkes.
The
45-year-old hanged himself last year after being questioned by police
after he was confronted by Stinson Hunter, and footage of the encounter
was uploaded to the internet.
Northamptonshire
Police later said they would have sought to charge Mr Parkes in
connection with the incident, in which he arranged to meet someone he
thought was a 12-year-old girl.
Mr
Parkes’ partner, who was also interviewed for the Channel 4
documentary, said she 'may agree' with the vigilante going online to
gather evidence, but said publishing the videos was 'what probably
tipped him over the edge'.
Stinson
Hunter had insisted on keeping his face secret for fear of reprisals,
but went public after saying he had 'always wanted to be on Channel 4'.
Stinson Hunter, pictured, tells the
documentary that he carries out his work with the help of his team who
all have 'dedicated roles'
Effect: Michael Parkes, pictured, hanged himself after he was confronted by Stinson Hunter last year
Controversial: Self-styled paedophile
catchers like Stinson Hunter (pictured) show police should invest more
in online stings, according to Britain's former child protection chief
Jim Gamble
Website: Until now the 31-year-old former drug addict had hidden his face on his website (pictured)
He
told the film's Bafta-winning director Dan Reed: 'We set the profile.
It’s like a rope and if they choose to put the rope around their neck
and hang themselves that’s their choice.
'We’ve not pushed them.'
The
film also features interviews with police and legal experts who tackle
child exploitation, who talk about the dangers for vigilantes, the
people they target and their families.
There is also the risk that amateur investigations could compromise police probes, the experts say.
One
barrister who regularly deals with child exploitation cases, Hugh
Davies QC, added there were risks of copycat vigilantes springing up in
response.
The Paedophile Hunter will be screened on Wednesday, October 1 at 10pm on Channel 4.
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