The vigilante paedophile hunter exposing online predators | 60 Minutes Australia

no crier makes you more angry than one committed against a child even more disturbing preying on vulnerable children seems to be growing more prevalent for pedophiles social media has made grooming victims chillingly easy their false identities and shifting online profiles mean police face an almost impossible task to catch them but now vigilantes are using the pedophiles own predatory techniques against them and leading the chase are people like Stinson hunter the pedophile hunter what's your guys saying Jay he's asking me if it's a police trap really yeah thank you I don't think he'll show man a nondescript hotel room in the north of England and Stinson hunter is closing in on another predator what are some of the things that he said to this girl if asked you to kiss me would you I want to [ __ ] your brains out would you let me take your virginity it's now quite late at night and we're just gonna wait and see if this guy he's named Stewart he's 46 see if he's actually going to turn up to the hotel to try to explain himself to Stinson and why he was saying such revolting things to a 13 year old girl you'll see my name's ginseng hunter do you know why you're here today why do you do it what's the point I can guarantee that you've done this as well you've sat there and said this is a problem right next minute you forgot about and done nothing about it that's kind of what I did but I was like there's a problem I'm not gonna sit around and let someone else deal with the problem [Music] this is Stinson inaction the self-described pedophile hunter confronts men who think they're meeting children his team films the encounters and posts them online for the world to see you know these are people that would go in to rape kids it's not entertainment I don't put my stuff out for entertainment Stinson's methods are unconventional and controversial and have made this 33 year old a cult-like figure in the UK I'm not no hero I'm no Batman I am on me and I'm intelligent enough and smart enough that's the same thing oh the irony oh the [ __ ] irony here former junkie you're covered in tats what's wrong with this don't say oh boy that's a lie you are an unlikely hero an accidental hero so you were told straight away in first message that this person you talked to was an 11 year old girl no yes she was well it's the stings that attract the headlines behind the scenes is where most of the work is done sad face I'm really to be honest are you free tomorrow your answer name but you being quite but yeah Stinson and his offsider James Donovan work around the clock luring many amusing fictitious online profiles on social networking sites the moment someone makes contact Stinson makes it very clear that they're talking to an 11 12 or 13 year old child what are some of the messages is there here but that often doesn't stop them explicitly asking to meet for sex that's just revolting is that yeah that's why I really want to get this guy today Stinson's targeting Blackpool in northwest England in just one day here Stinson hunter has seven men chatting to what they believe is a 13 year old girl one is a fifty year old computer technician another is a traveling businessman who is staying in the same hotel as us and word has just come through that one of hunters potential targets has asked to meet the girl here at pleasure beach how are you feeling about this one yeah I've got all the nerves and stuff because I'm not used to doing outside what are you going to ask him just want to know why he's doing it and I'm going to put on the Internet my name's not mark so you're not here to meet a 13 year old girl my no you sit down you're fake you've asked a second please mark is a 27 year old who lives at home with his mum just outside of Blackpool well says it that's you there what on earth mark gets the shock of his life when it is Stenson who turns up and not thirteen-year-old Stacey and also are you gonna tell me that you've never spoken inappropriately to underage girls before my best mate is in prison for doing such a thing I would never you're going to be in the same position the messages that Marcus sent are particularly hard to read Stinson uploads these conversations and the video to his Facebook page encouraging his half a million followers to share it what's the point of putting this online to raise awareness you can you can sit there right you can sit down make a little show without me in it and so parents look this is happening online it doesn't get through to people this this method wakes people up do you ever feel sorry for the man what not know why should I feel sorry for this person has gone out and he's tried to sexually abused a child these people make every single choice themselves you know I've not been an angel in my life but I made every single choice myself and these people have made their choices Stinson knows all about bad choices he was addicted to hard drugs at 12 which saw him end up in a children's home where sex abuse was commonplace you know I stole from my family you know I stole cars of robbed houses of you know of you know of beating people up for no reason I've you know even when I was in prison I was attacking people what were you sent to prison arson I set fire to an empty school it was late at night and I was 17 if I would have killed somebody I was I would have I know I would have killed people that was that was the plan that was my plan that's what I was going to do I was going to hurt people so what changed how did you go from being this person who wanted to self-destruct and destroy everything around you to being a man on this mission prison therapy nearly died in my son you know for things yeah pretty much I don't know man Lloyd I just I don't want to be that person anymore and I've still got it in me to be that person every day is a constant vow to not be that person and today the battle is focused on this man Stuart is single works for a trucking company and has been sending disgusting messages to Stacey who he believes is a 13 year old girl how badly do you want to get this really bad I'll go to his work if I have to and happy to remain law I'm gonna wrap them because the public need to see that this is another person that's doing these he has his critics but it's hard to argue with the results Stinson's confrontations have led to 18 convictions in less than two years 29 year-old Steve Stapleton was one of them he is now in jail oh god yeah I'm shocked all three years you are gonna be lots of it is hard to be arrested sorry well that's the way I handed the information to the police then I put the video video went bang it was online and it went mental but as a result of the Stapleton thing a 13 year old girl came forward to the police and told them that he didn't rape you know so because of your video another victim came forward and pinpointed these guys many have done it many it was a rapist yeah many you've done it so how did you feel when Stapleton got eight years jail I started crying I was I've done it I said I've got him I said that's just that's the one that I wanted I wanted him so bad coming up when it all goes wrong I don't run over you nearly died yeah and face to face just gonna wait to see if he's actually going to turn up to the hotel to try to explain himself with a predator I felt sorry for a 13 year old having to go of adult dates inside this you've got concerned you wouldn't have said that you'd love to make look to it that's next on 60 minutes Stinson hunter is out to get pedophiles a one-man Crusader determined to catch child abusers then name and shame them online while his campaign has won popular support his unorthodox methods are not winning points with police in fact they're determined to stop him people didn't have a conclude what was going on you know people had no idea that their 13 year old daughter or son could be in their bedroom or even sat right next to them with their iPad or whatever they use and they could be talking to a man or a woman that is trying to abuse that child stinson hunter is a man on a mission right now he is chatting to six men online one of them is Stuart a 46 year old who believes his talking to a 13 year old girl called Stacy but Stuart seems to be getting suspicious this is where we'll know now I died I can't call it I really can't call it Stinson is worried that another predator that the police have missed might get away with it the police they're embarrassed by what I do they're embarrassed the a former junkie criminal is going out and doing all this stuff and getting more convictions three times more convictions in them in a core of the time pistons and hunter embarrassed to the police he probably has to a degree he pulls that the veneer back and proves the fact that you know anyone can do it you don't need to be a rocket scientist is a shooting fish in a barrel Jim Gamble is the former head of the UK's child exploitation and Online Protection Center he has spent decades in policing let me be clear you know you're dealing with a crime where there's a stigma like no other the smell never goes away so when you bring the minutes around I'm going to report you that person leaves when they're arrested by police there's a system that they go through that ensures as a suicide strategy and before people start going well we don't care I understand that but the wives and children of those individuals those predators are suspect predators at that time they have lives you know they shouldn't be further brutalized because of of something we suspect you know the man in that house of having done case in point Michael passed this 45 year old father turned up with chocolates and wine to have sex with a 12 year old girl Stinson filmed the encounter handed the evidence to police and as always posted the video on his website it was on police bail and he killed himself because he made the choices himself so you don't think the public humiliation of having his photo put online is what pushed him over the edge do know nobody can say any different can you just wash your hands of what happened I have done why should I care I didn't know him you know it's easy to blame people it's easy to sit here and say Stinson did it will blame Stinson scapegoat we can use him but what did he blame that to a person that a committed a crime right B put a rope around his neck and killed himself and I will I will never feel bad for it I refuse to feel bad for it I don't care is dead I have no you know his kid I feel bad for his kid at any given time in the UK over 50,000 people are downloading indecent images of children but Jim Campbell says that doesn't make it right for Stenson to take the law into his own hands I think putting images online on Facebook or elsewhere before people have gone through the criminal justice system is just reckless and he is classically a vigilante he will you know appear well-intentioned and might be but I think he's dangerous and I think he's reckless anyone that calls me of vigilantes are [ __ ] you know I mean why do you rail against that title vigilante why do you see it as a negative because it's not the right word I'm I'm not I should enabled I don't feel like I should be labeled a vigilante because I'm not a vigilantly being Nigel addy is someone who takes the law into their own hands I'm not taking the law into my own hands that's what you're doing not report crime to the police pursuing and punishing a cry I don't pursue anybody they pursue me I hand the information to the police I don't dish out any form of justice but you don't think that posting someone's name their alleged crime and their photo online yes playing judge and jury no no that's truly fails playing judge and jury I wouldn't hand it in to the police I wouldn't say there you go mate get that dealt with so what happens if someone sees one of your videos and thinks well that's a guy who lives down the street from yeah I know him I'm gonna take the law into my own hands I'm gonna deal with it are you not responsible for that no now if somebody takes that and this hasn't happened but if somebody takes that and goes and does something to somebody else that's not my problem what is Stinson's problem is when the consequences of his campaign come back on him and his family Stinson's partner and baby boy have been threatened well he's been attacked with a tire iron and even run over by a man he was filming for my health is suffering I got run over that was quite [ __ ] you know he died yeah you broke both of your ankles yeah and I'm big old in the back of my head I've got nerve damage in my shoulders can't feel my shoulders around there but it wasn't my choice to get run over and that made me realize that life is really [ __ ] short and you've got to grasp every single opportunity well you can't I think we should meet on his terms you know if this doesn't work out I think he's I think he is going to show finally a breakthrough when they effort to confront Stewart the 46 year old now realizes he's been sprung but has agreed to meet Stillson face-to-face no my honest-to-god map incredibly he's hoping to persuade Stinson not to name and shame him online I can't understand why any guy would agree to come and talk to you and expose themselves to this I desperation a biathlon yes in a bit mate it's now quite late at night and we're just gonna wait and see if he's actually going to turn up to the hotel to try to explain himself to Stinson and why he was saying such revolting things to a 13 year old girl I will see do I get the cameras going oh my mind instantly just want to take your seat mate cheers and love a little chat about this you know why you're here today oh no why because I sent inappropriate messages yet to a murder right oh that's your message isn't it our CDs can place you so it's just heard honestly yeah I felt sorry for a 13 year old having to go on adult dating sites to find a friend and the case is gonna say a really strange book the message is a center yeah I'm supposed to scare it off I was often to turn around and say you're a [ __ ] dirty pervert don't contact me again because if you were that one let me finish you yet with that concerned about 13-year old girl you wouldn't have said I would love to [ __ ] your brains out you wouldn't have said that you'd love to make love to her you wouldn't have asked her if you if she wanted to kiss you he wouldn't have said those things on different occasions and not within the same time frame you wouldn't have said it this here is growing I know it is if a guy said that's your 13 year old girl you'd be thinking the same thing that I'm thinking I wanted this to come off I had no intention to me today I shouldn't have sent the messages I accept them I'm reading I'm really sorry about that but I'm no groomer I'm no pervert pedophile in any way shape or form and I just wanted her without going to anybody else and I know I've done it wrong and stupidity is me only Crimea but I didn't want her to end up with somebody who the stuff I sent her would actually do them to her right just so you know your information is going to be handed in to the police your information is going to be uploaded to the Internet and I will be attending court to process cute because you have broken the law mate we all know that I go to the police and ruin my life you've ruined your own life mate I saw for me a bit of stupid my life's ruined different yet effectively we stopped brewing you can sort it out this isn't no it'll be when it ends with Stuart agreeing to hand himself into police the following morning that was so uncomfortable watch the entire confrontation took an excruciating 41 minutes do you believe him no did any use believe him look I felt really sorry for him and then I kept thinking of the messages that he sent to that 13 year old girl and reminded myself that he was grooming her but sitting watching him sit there and you grill him it's really uncomfortable you'll be feeling [ __ ] for a bit you'll go away and you'll remember and you'll go for I'll send you the slides you read through the slides and then ask yourself if that was your 13 year old daughter that guy was talking to would you be feeling sorry for him now would you be feeling emotional towards him now you you wouldn't sing stinson in full flight you can't help admire his conviction but understand why police want him to stop indeed laws in the UK will change this year making stings of this kind illegal not that Stinson has any regrets I wonder what you think your daughter's will think of you behave you sure no please I don't care if you think I'm a vigilante think about me what you want but you're thinking about me and what you're thinking about me you're thinking about what I do and while you're thinking about what I do you're thinking what your kids are doing do you feel you've started something important yeah I honestly honestly think not for my own gratification or anything but I do think this is going to change the world I'm not trying to be a hero I don't want to be a hero don't be labelled as a hero you know I'm just Stenson Hunter that discovered something found a way that's perfectly legal morally questionable right ethically questionable but it worked and it worked well because you're say are talking to me hello I'm Allison Langdon thanks for watching to keep up with the latest from 60 minutes Australia make sure you subscribe to our Channel you can also download the 9 now app for full episodes and other exclusive 60 minutes content

Channel: 60 Minutes Australia

Views: 2,110,121

Rating: 4.8474879 out of 5

Keywords: 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes Australia, Liz Hayes, Charles Wooley, Tara Brown, Liam Bartlett, Allison Langdon, Tom Steinfort, Ellen Fanning, Peter Overton, Karl Stefanovic, Ray Martin, Peter Stefanovic, Jana Wendt, Jeff McMullen, Michael Usher, Ross Coulthart, George Negus, Ian Leslie, Gerald Stone, Sarah Abo, paedophile hunter, stinson hunter, hunting online predators, exposing predators, catching a predator

Id: u1dkmlEqfZo

Length: 22min 35sec (1355 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 23 2020