Dark Justice - ‘Pedophile Hunters’ Film Moment They Capture would-be Child Abuser

© Dark Justice / YouTube

A vigilante group of ‘pedophile hunters’ in England have filmed the moment they ensnared a would-be child abuser attempting to meet up with a fictitious 13-year-old girl he had been grooming online.

Simon Bagley, 42, was given a 12-month suspended jail sentence by Newcastle Crown Court and placed on the sex offenders’ register for five years.

Members of child safety group Dark Justice posed as Charlotte, 13, and struck up an online relationship with Bagley on social networking site hi5.

A series of text messages were then exchanged in which Bagley asked the girl, “Would you like me to be your first boyfriend?” and “Would you like [me] to take your virginity?"

When asked by those posing as Charlotte if he would be happy to be her boyfriend despite her being “only 13,” Bagley replied: “If it would be fine with you.”

He arranged to meet with her at Times Square in Newcastle and was confronted by members of the group as he dismounted his bicycle. Bagley was then quoted some of the lines he used to groom the girl in his text messages and shown screenshots of what he had sent.

Two men from Dark Justice appear to be present at the confrontation, with Bagley apparently dazed and dumbfounded in front of the camera.

One of them asks: “You’ve come to meet a 13-year-old girl for sex?" The culprit, however, can manage only the confused response of, “Why would I come on my bike?”

Two police officers then arrive on the scene and listen as members of Dark Justice repeat excerpts from his text conversations with Charlotte. Bagley, whose own lawyer labelled him “pathetic and vulnerable,” later claimed he had set up the meeting to warn the girl about the danger of online predators.

Judge Paul Sloan QC said in his sentencing of Bagley: “You wanted pictures of her in her school uniform. You went to meet the girl at Times Square and were shocked when you were confronted by members of Dark Justice.”

“You then told police that you were only there to teach Charlotte about dangers, something I simply don’t accept,” the judge told the court. "If this was more than an attempt then you would be given an immediate custodial sentence.”

Pedophile Hunting Moms

Two mums become paedophile hunters because they claim police aren't doing enough to protect children

BY JOHN JAMES ANISIOBI

Two UK mothers have taken the law into their own hands

to hunt down paedophiles

A couple of mums have decided to take matters into their own hands when it comes to the safety of their children, by forming a vigilante gang that goes after suspected paedophiles.

The self-styled paedophile hunters spoke about their experiences on Good Morning Britain and revealed their techniques in catching and entrapping people that they believed proved a danger to kids.

The two mothers talk to mainly men online pretending to be young girls, and then arrange to meet them and confront them as part of a well planned and rehearsed sting.


Speaking with their backs to the camera they said: "We set the operation up because we didn't feel the police were doing enough."

They continued: "We would put a historical picture up in a chat room and wait for these people to talk with us.

"Everything is left down to them, the balls in their court. We wait for them to approach us with a meet. Several times we have handed over information to police and in all fairness there is no follow up."

When questioned about why they can't involve the police earlier on in their quest they said: "The easiest way for us to do it is go there and meet them, and then we instantly call the police so we know the police are on the way.

"It's really distressing as an adult, I can't imagine how a child would feel in that situation."

A former policeman joined the debate and disagreed that the women were doing all the necessary things to help the situation.


ITV/SWNS This man was caught in a sting by the paedophile hunters after they chatted to him online
The man denied being a paedophile but the mums thought he was

He said that the women are not helping in the right way and they need to be brought inside the criminal justice system because untrained they endanger the lives of other children and themselves.

While he did admit that there are not enough officers to catch paedophiles, he suggested that the women, and other similar groups be brought in for training and work with the police.

Now there's an idea. I wonder if it will fly? Imagine, dozens, if not hundreds of adult vigilantes stinging the heck out of pedophiles. Might make a difference.

The two mothers, whose identities were kept secret didn't think his words would be put into action, though, and said: "Id like to see it put into practice."

Creep Catchers Sorry Wrong RCMP Officer Named After Ambush

'I'd like to apologise ... trying to do a public service ... sometimes the public gets carried away'

By Yvette Brend, CBC News 


Surrey Creep Catchers claim the officer they lured to meet a teen in Surrey, B.C. sent this image of himself to them before their encounter on Wednesday. (Twitter/Creep Catchers)

The man behind the Surrey, British Columbia vigilante group that claims to hunt predators by luring them into dates is apologizing to an RCMP officer mistakenly named as a target after an ambush Sept. 7, 2016.

"I'd like to apologize to him and his family and hope that he will understand that we are trying to do a public service and that sometimes the public gets carried away," reads a Facebook post.

The group's Wednesday night ambush led to an arrest in Surrey by the RCMP.

An arrest of an RCMP officer!

"I never said his name ... and I have nowhere posted anywhere [his name] and I have nowhere condoned people posting that name," said Ryan Laforge, president of the Surrey Creep Catchers on Saturday.

Laforge said the whole thing was a misunderstanding.

He and other so called pedophile hunters became convinced that the suspect was a police officer based on images they say he sent to the "14-year-old" decoy who he'd been connecting with for a week and talking about sex.

On the video of the Facebook live feed Laforge calls out an officer's first name as he approaches the suspect.

That name was based on the suspect's Twitter handle, he said.


Ryan Laforge, president of Surrey Creep Catchers, sees himself as a protector and vows to keep hunting pedophiles. (Ryan Laforge/Creep Catchers/Facebook)

After the ambush, online supporters of the Surrey Creep Catchers began posting comments, several claiming to know the RCMP officer involved. 

But the name published in those comments was incorrect. 

Laforge says the name happens to rhyme with another RCMP officer's real name — an officer who had nothing to do with the entire situation.

"The apology is just what any human being would do for someone who was brought into something they are innocent for," said Laforge.

He is also appealing to the besmirched officer to forgive the group.

"I hope that given what we are doing is to protect the kids I would hope that there would be a little bit of understanding," said Laforge, who urged all followers to stop naming any specific officers.

"It makes us look bad," Laforge posted.

Although when asked if he fears the officer tarred unfairly might sue, Laforge is confident.

"He doesn't really have a leg to stand on. I never said his name once."


No fear of other mistakes, violence

Laforge insists there's no chance they would have hurt the suspect if they had caught up.

"Everybody gets excited and nobody likes to see a bad guy get away ... we are non-violent. I am very confident that nobody would breach it. The only way that anyone would breach it is if there was self-defense on our part," he told CBC Saturday.

In the U.K. targets of vigilante groups have turned on their confronters, and in one case an Essex man was stabbed to death by a teen vigilante gang who mistook the innocent father for a pedophile.


RCMP Inspector Tyler Svendson is asking for citizen-led child sexual predator capture groups like Surrey Creep Catchers to stop operating while the leader of the group, Ryan Laforge says it vows to continue on. (CBC)

When asked about similar situations in other countries, Laforge insisted those scenarios are not a risk with his group.

He admitted there is always a chance of violence in any confrontation.

"We're dealing with the lowest of the low. We are dealing with just straight slime. Scum. So the chances of any of them getting violent is probably rare and I'm guessing that the outcome of their violence wouldn't turn out in their favour," said Laforge.


Emails handed over 

The Surrey Creep Catchers handed over 200 emails exchanged between the man they targeted and their decoy to RCMP.

So far police have had no more contact with the group.

Laforge said when they lure a target they make sure to say the age of the decoy female involved.

They reached out to police immediately after the ambush. RCMP responded to the scene.

Suspect officer now released from custody 

On Friday, Sept. 9, 2016 RCMP announced that they had arrested a Mountie and an investigation into child luring and sexual exploitation allegations was ongoing.

If this Mountie is successfully prosecuted, it will be the first successful prosecution of anyone reported to the police by a vigilante group in British Columbia.

That officer's name has not been released.

On Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016 RCMP confirmed he has now been released from custody with a series of conditions as a result of a judicial bail hearing.

    Surrey is a suburb of Vancouver and the second largest city in British Columbia