This is the
dramatic moment a self-styled 'paedophile hunter' confronts a potential
sex attacker who he has 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 are seen
poised for action with a camera as they wait for one of the suspects.
As
the man walks in, one of the vigilantes asks the suspect to explain
himself, before starting to click away with his camera in a bid to
expose him.
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Hunting down: In the dramatic footage,
one man stands poised with his camera, waiting for the man to enter in a
bid to expose him
But
the man - who is not seen on camera - flees from the scene, sparking a
sudden chase which is captured on a shaky, hand-held camera.
The two men shout for him to stop, promising him the information will be handed to the police.
One of the men is 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
tells 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 is not seen on camera - runs from the property when he realises he could be exposed
They are
heard shouting: 'Sir, I suggest you stop and talk, your information is
going to be handed to the police,' while chasing 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 is filmed setting up a trap to catch the
suspected offender. One of the team is filmed following a black taxi,
while speaking on the phone to two of his colleagues.
Meanwhile,
those two vigilantes are seen nervously peering through the blinds as
they wait 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 follows the
suspect who is travelling to the house in a taxi, others wait 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 shouts 'Taxi's here', the pair - one equipped with a camera - get
themselves into position, waiting to confront the man as he arrives 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.DAILYMAIL.CO.UK
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