A Wigan gang of vigilantes are pretending to be young girls to lure out alleged paedophiles and child groomers before assaulting them, filming it and blackmailing them with the threat of posting the videos on Facebook.
Wigan police are asking residents not to join these vigilante groups after a man has been arrested for assault and blackmail following a Facebook grooming sting.
The latest ‘paedophile’ attack occurred in Wigan town centre at 2.40pm on Saturday April 18.
Concerned shoppers in the town’s Market Place witnessed a 25-year-old man being beaten up by a group of people.
The group accused the man of arranging to meet a 14-year-old girl online. He was then assaulted by one of the men in the group, who head butted him and knocked out two of his teeth.
The incident that was filmed by the rest of the group has since been posted online. The man escaped the group and went to the police station to report the incident.
A 25-year-old man has been charged with attempting to meet a girl under 16 after grooming.
The first incident happened in Atherton, when a 19-year-old man is said to have arranged to meet someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl in a church car park, at round 9pm on Friday April 17.
When the man arrived to the scene, he was filmed being attacked by a group of men who accused him of being a pedophile for arranging to meet up with the underage girl.
The victim of the assault managed to run away but was later sent text messages where demands for money were made.
The vigilante group threatened to upload the video of him to Facebook if he didn’t pay up.
The next day the man reported the incident to the police where he was subsequently arrested on suspicion of being an adult attempting to meet a girl under the age of 16 following grooming.
He has now been bailed pending further enquires.
Detective Inspector Charlotte Cadden, from GMP’s Bolton division, said: “These men were targeted because they had illegally arranged to meet up with underage girls online.
“I want to make it clear that grooming and arranging to meet up with children you have met over the internet is a criminal offence and if you are caught doing this you will be arrested and prosecuted.
“It is unacceptable that this group are posing as underage girls and meeting up with men with the view to either blackmailing them or attacking them in the street.”
In the second attack, the first offender that assaulted the 19-year-old is described as white, aged 18-20, with shaved brown hair.
He is said to have been wearing a white t-shirt, a black tracksuit and was carrying a black Foot Asylum drawstring bag. He also has a tattooed left arm.
The second attacker is described as a white woman, about 5ft 4in tall with reddish, dark hair wearing a grey hoodie and a black top.
Another is described as a white man, aged in his 40s, 5ft 4in tall, wearing glasses and carrying a walking stick.
The fourth offender is described as a white man with short brown receding hair and wearing a blue T-Shirt.
Police are asking anyone with information regarding both incidents to contact police immediately on 101 or independent charity Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.
Image courtesy of Moneyblog Newz, with thanks.
