A Whitehaven man has been arrested in a sting operation orchestrated by online group, Guardians Of The North. A spokesperson from the group said:
Guardians of the North deny that they are a vigilante group and that they are a "Public Service".
Simon Bailey, head of child protection at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said the work of paedophile hunters had led to people being attacked or even taking their own lives.
Tonight the team were in Gateshead to have a male in his late 40's from Whitehaven, Cumbria arrested. This male travelled to meet what he believed to be a 14 year old girl when in fact it was a member of our team. The male has been arrested.The Guardians of the North claim to ensure the safety of children online. Volunteers from the group use 'decoys' to act as children online using various social media platforms.
Guardians of the North deny that they are a vigilante group and that they are a "Public Service".
Simon Bailey, head of child protection at the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said the work of paedophile hunters had led to people being attacked or even taking their own lives.
So many of these groups' drivers are about seeking infamy through the number of hits they get, the number of likes they get, the number of people that view their live streams.
I can’t deny they’ve led to convictions, but they've also led to people being blackmailed, people being subject of GBH (grievous bodily harm), the wrong people being accused, people committing suicide as a result of interventions, family lives being completely destroyed, in the name of what? Facebook likes.
Guardians Of The North claim to have secured 101 successful convictions.
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| Photo: Guardians Of The North |
