Letzgo Hunting

[sparks03]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2312824/Letzgo-Hunting-Facebook-sting-Leave-justice-police-warn-vigilante-paedophile-hunters.html

 

 I've heard of this before however the group is currently on a BBC minor affairs programme on BBC 1. I'm not sure on the legality of what they do but surely their rooting out and bringing to the attention of the police these people is a good thing? 

 The police/ CEOP don't seem too happy with any of their activities but it seems the group have been behind convictions of people who are now known to the justice system. I know its not exactly accepted practice but they can do what the police can't do and they seem to be able to do it whenever. Perhaps there should be more official/ law enforcement activities in the vein of this group. 

[gadgetman]

Equally they've got it wrong.

A loaner near where I used to live was hounded by a vigilante group and driven to suicide.

He wasn't a pedophile, he was mentally ill with a mental age of 11 in a 40 something body. It was all because his flat overlooked a playschool playground and he was seen watching them play.

Equally there have been cases of people who've lost their jobs, families and friends because of rumours and false evidence.

Where there is a valid case they may wreck any police case by taking matters into their own hands.

I have no time for such groups

[adamal]

I'm not convinced either. But if it were my child involved, I can't say how I would act if I perceived the authorities weren't getting anywhere.

[BJB540]

Equally they've got it wrong.

A loaner near where I used to live was hounded by a vigilante group and driven to suicide.

He wasn't a pedophile, he was mentally ill with a mental age of 11 in a 40 something body. It was all because his flat overlooked a playschool playground and he was seen watching them play.

Equally there have been cases of people who've lost their jobs, families and friends because of rumours and false evidence.

Where there is a valid case they may wreck any police case by taking matters into their own hands.

I have no time for such groups

 

Couldn't put it better myself really.

[@Lee]

IIRC there was a case in Portsmouth where a group had somehow decided a doctor was a paedophile.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/aug/30/childprotection.society

 

And then there's the vigilantism that can follow such rumours.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/872436.stm

[adamal]

It was Newport I'm embarrassed to say as it is my home town. It was around the time of similar vigilanteeism in Pompey though

[sparks03]

Gadgetman I hear what you're saying but by the looks of things appearances were the catalyst for people's reactions? The group is somewhat different in that they seek not to encourage deviants but let them hang themselves by what they do. I doubt that somebody with reduced mental capacity would seek to offer to meet a child for sex by patrolling around internet chat rooms. 

 

 It seems so perfectly simple what happens, it really does make me wonder why the authorities don't patrol the internet in the same fashion and do things in an evidential manner. 

 

 'Vigilante' groups mistaking a professional name are a little different to what these folks are doing. I'm not sure why the police don't follow the lead and find more people more quickly. Its almost as if there is a lack of will to tackle the people who prey on children online.

[BJB540]

Gadgetman I hear what you're saying but by the looks of things appearances were the catalyst for people's reactions? The group is somewhat different in that they seek not to encourage deviants but let them hang themselves by what they do. I doubt that somebody with reduced mental capacity would seek to offer to meet a child for sex by patrolling around internet chat rooms. 

 

 It seems so perfectly simple what happens, it really does make me wonder why the authorities don't patrol the internet in the same fashion and do things in an evidential manner. 

 

 'Vigilante' groups mistaking a professional name are a little different to what these folks are doing. I'm not sure why the police don't follow the lead and find more people more quickly. Its almost as if there is a lack of will to tackle the people who prey on children online.

 

Am I right in thinking though, that the authorities can't set up "meets" like the groups do? Something to do with effectively setting up the evidence, might be wrong though.

[@Lee]

It was Newport I'm embarrassed to say as it is my home town. It was around the time of similar vigilanteeism in Pompey though

yep, quite right. Am sure there was something else similar in Pompey though

[gadgetman]

The police do engage in this tactic themselves, but funding is squeezed as there are more of "other" criminals where the likelihood of cutting crime is greater.

[BJB540]

The police do engage in this tactic themselves, but funding is squeezed as there are more of "other" criminals where the likelihood of cutting crime is greater.

 

So it all comes back to stats really. Catch 50 vandals or 10 pedophiles.. I'd rather my taxes were spent on the latter personally as I am getting to the age now where I'm likely to be talked into having children. Maybe I'm being totally naive though.

[mdon]

Gadgetman I hear what you're saying but by the looks of things appearances were the catalyst for people's reactions? The group is somewhat different in that they seek not to encourage deviants but let them hang themselves by what they do. I doubt that somebody with reduced mental capacity would seek to offer to meet a child for sex by patrolling around internet chat rooms.

It seems so perfectly simple what happens, it really does make me wonder why the authorities don't patrol the internet in the same fashion and do things in an evidential manner.

'Vigilante' groups mistaking a professional name are a little different to what these folks are doing. I'm not sure why the police don't follow the lead and find more people more quickly. Its almost as if there is a lack of will to tackle the people who prey on children online.

What this 'group' is doing is basically what the American TV show 'to catch a predator' did but the key difference is, the American TV show did it with the police involvement and assistance ie police are present at all times for evidential purposes and to arrest the individuals. This group is doing in their own backs and so the paper reported one of their 'suspects or victims' (depends on how you look at it) committed suicide. I don't agree with what they are doing one bit. If they want to be reporters than join a news agency, if they want to catch bad guys then join the police. Has any of them ever gave a thought of what happens if one of their targets turns violent or produces a weapon?

[sparks03]

It seems small comfort really, perhaps we should invest more in online protection than a £100bn train set. Especially as the tactic itself is so simple and effective. One really cannot say that offering to meet a child for sex is a misunderstanding! 

[Binzie]

Its the Bat man or WMD theory, how many people on the brink of trying a "groom?" will think forget that i may end on telly or battered in a ditch?

[@Lee]

So, what's next for the Facebook groups? LetzGo hunt a terrorist? I saw a brown person in the city centre with a ruck-sack, definitely a bomb, let's get him.

[mdon]

It seems small comfort really, perhaps we should invest more in online protection than a £100bn train set. Especially as the tactic itself is so simple and effective. One really cannot say that offering to meet a child for sex is a misunderstanding!

Your quite right, money does need investing but in the current climate where GMP are cutting 700 police officers alone the last thing we need is a bunch of bored members of the public taking it upon themselves to 'catch' people whom they believe to be pedophiles. The authorities need the power and funding to carry these functions instead of millions being wasted on PCCs and other gimmicks.

[sparks03]

So, what's next for the Facebook groups? LetzGo hunt a terrorist? I saw a brown person in the city centre with a ruck-sack, definitely a bomb, let's get him.

 

 

 Do you remember the Brasseye paedophile special? That was one of the biggest genius pieces of comedy i've every seen. People's fears and ignorances played on so beautifully it transcended the disgusting subject matter. 

 However it is a little bit different pointing to a brown person and saying terrorist as it is having a grown man sending lewd messages to a twelve year old, isn't it? 

[@Lee]

 Do you remember the Brasseye paedophile special? That was one of the biggest genius pieces of comedy i've every seen. People's fears and ignorances played on so beautifully it transcended the disgusting subject matter. 

 However it is a little bit different pointing to a brown person and saying terrorist as it is having a grown man sending lewd messages to a twelve year old, isn't it? 

I do remember that. Chris Morris at his finest. That and the 'Cake' episode.

 

I suppose it's how the evidence, or lack of, is interpreted.

[Waplord]

Yes mob justice ALWAYS works well  :think:

 

 

Self-styled vigilantes attacked the home of a hospital paediatrician after apparently confusing her professional title with the word "paedophile", it emerged yesterday.

Dr Yvette Cloete, a specialist registrar in paediatric medicine at the Royal Gwent hospital in Newport, was forced to flee her house after vandals daubed it with graffiti in the middle of the night.

The word "paedo" was written across the front porch and door of the house she shared with her brother in the village of St Brides, south Wales.

Dr Cloete, 42, confirmed she had left the property after the "distressing" attack. "For the time being I have moved out of the area because when something like this happens you just cannot feel safe in your own home.

"We removed the graffiti within hours, but what happened was terrible and it has been extremely distressing."

Gwent police confirmed that the attack last Friday night was prompted by a confusion over the words "paedophile" and "paediatrician".

Inspector Andrew Adams said: "It appears to be the case. We are still making inquiries. We want to stress in the strongest possible terms that there is nothing to justify what was written on the walls and door of Dr Cloete's home."

He said every effort was being made to find the people responsible for the attack. "These people should think long and hard about what they have done to a valuable member of the community, who has devoted her life to helping children.

"We are concerned that some people in the local community have taken it upon themselves to do this, and would urge them to think about the consequences of their inaccurate and inappropriate actions."

The Royal Gwent hospital described Dr Cloete as a top-class specialist in children's diseases. A spokesman said: " She is a valued and respected member of the paediatric team, where she has worked for the last two and a half years."

A neighbour of the doctor and her brother said: "They are decent people who we get on very well with. It is very unfortunate that something like this has happened."

Dr Cloete is the latest victim to have been wrongly identified by anti-paedophile campaigners in the wave of protests which have swept the country following the News of the World's campaign to "name and shame" alleged sex offenders.

Five families who were wrongly identified as harbouring sex offenders were forced to flee their homes in the Paulsgrove estate in Portsmouth as violence flared earlier this month.

The Sunday tabloid wants the government to introduce a law allowing people access to information on the identities and addresses of paedophiles in their areas.

 

[@Lee]

Yes mob justice ALWAYS works well  :think:

did you not read post #5 :p

[Waplord]

did you not read post #5 :p

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry but.......

 

 

 

[sparks03]

I do remember that. Chris Morris at his finest. That and the 'Cake' episode.

 

I suppose it's how the evidence, or lack of, is interpreted.

 

 

 Oh dear God, Bernard Manning talking about Cake, I think i pee'd myself a little bit. Mob rule isn't really an answer to anything, but these folks have enough about them to secure convictions so they must be a little bit beyond the mob. There's plenty of community speed watches about where old dears and average Joes get to hold a speed camera, I wonder if there'd be scope for something of that ilk online? 

[VWD]

Problem with this lot of do gooders is that parents of young yobs ( and said young yobs ) find it too good to be true. At one time, if you had things like wing mirrors interferedwith ,or tyres let down , solution was to get a cctv camera and display it . Now, there would be an outcry.  Example- one night,next door had a noisy party in the rear garden . Grandaughter was staying overnight, and I'd bought her a phone to replace the one she's lost. Phone had a built in torch ,which she loved to play with . I had our local bigmouth who was in next door with his kids accuse me of being a Paedo as he's seen a "camera " flash , with various threats. Local BIB took dim view and had words with him ,and a good laugh with me at how stupid he'd been when I explained what the flash was . It's that easy for this lot to see things their way and once convinced, matters get out of hand .

[mdon]

Oh dear God, Bernard Manning talking about Cake, I think i pee'd myself a little bit. Mob rule isn't really an answer to anything, but these folks have enough about them to secure convictions so they must be a little bit beyond the mob. There's plenty of community speed watches about where old dears and average Joes get to hold a speed camera, I wonder if there'd be scope for something of that ilk online?

How many convictions have they secured though? They've made dozens of confrontations with suspects but what is their success rate exactly?

Edited 23 September, 2013 by mdon

[sparks03]

How many convictions have they secured though? They've made dozens of confrontations with suspects but what is their success rate exactly?

 

 

 Think it was two convictions but Leicester Police have now refused to deal with them because they don't wish to promote people taking the law into their own hands. To be honest it shows that there is scope for public support, not necessarily in confrontation but certainly in the gathering of evidence- names, addresses, telephone numbers etc.