An alleged paedophile has been arrested at a Sydney shopping centre after being snared in a “catch a predator”-style sting that went viral on social media.
NSW Police confirmed a 49-year-old man was charged with allegedly sending an indecent image to a child on November 4, but was granted bail and will face Burwood Local Court in December, but also issued a warning about “vigilante justice”.
The alleged predator was filmed meeting a woman who he thought was a 15-year-old girl inside a shopping centre in Strathfield before being confronted on camera by content creator Paul Chahine.
The video, which has more than 15 million views, includes screenshots of messages allegedly sent by the man saying “hmm interesting, but ok” when he was told that the person he was speaking to was 15.
The messages also allegedly show him replying “they’re (sic) keenness and excitement” after being asked what he “enjoys” about young girls.
At one point in the video, after the man claimed he “didn’t come to meet up with anybody”, Mr Chahine showed the man an explicit photo he allegedly sent to the girl, and said “there’s no point denying cause we have everything”.
The man then offered to help Mr Chahine carry out future stings and told him “it’s good that you’re doing it” before police arrived at the scene.
Mr Chahine told The Daily Telegraph that his videos, which are among many filmed in recent years that are partly inspired by US TV show To Catch A Predator, were intended to publicly shame paedophiles.
“One of the biggest punishments they can get, other than legal trouble, is them getting exposed, their face getting exposed,” he said.
“As sad as it sounds, their family knowing, people they know. It works.”
But NSW Police said in a statement that members of the public should not attempt to catch predators themselves, and warned it could backfire.
“We encourage the community not to attempt to take the law into their own hands, as you may be committing an offence or hindering an ongoing police investigation.
“Police do not support vigilante behaviour as it is a risk to all involved and often leads to unintended consequences.”
Lawyer Sam Macedone of Macedone Legal also warned that social media stings could ruin police investigations, and result in predators escaping justice.
“Citizens shouldn’t get involved in police work. It’s something that if you know something’s going on, you should really be notifying police about it,” he said.
“You only need to get one element wrong and the person that has been charged will walk.”
Header image: Left, the man (face blurred) speaking to Mr Chahine. Right, police arresting the man (Instagram).
