Adelaide anti-paedophile vigilante confronts man caught in internet ‘child grooming’ sting — and detains him until police arrive

IN a tense confrontation at a railway station in southern Adelaide, an anti-paedophile vigilante recorded the citizen’s arrest of a man he alleges had arranged to meet an underage boy for sex.

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AN alleged paedophile is under investigation after a vigilante confronted him in a sting at a suburban Adelaide train station, prompting strong police warnings against people taking the law into their own hands.

The middle-aged man, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, is accused by the vigilante of attempting to groom an underage boy for sex via the internet.

But after allegedly arranging to meet the teen at Torrens Park train station, in Adelaide’s south, on Wednesday afternoon, he was instead confronted by the vigilante — who had posed as the boy.

The vigilante placed the man under “citizen’s arrest” for almost an hour, during which he interrogated him and accused him of being a “filthy pedo”, before Sturt Criminal Investigation Branch detectives arrived.

The accused man denied he was grooming anyone and claimed he was just chatting online to “a young guy”.

The confrontation was filmed on a mobile phone and posted to social media on Thursday, but has since been deleted.

Police on Thursday revealed they are investigating the man after being called to the train station just after 3pm amid “allegations” made about contact and the “physical detention of one man by another”.

They accompanied the suspect to his home “where further investigations were undertaken by police including the seizure of electronic devices for further examination”.

The alleged paedophile is confronted by his accuser.

A screenshot allegedly sent by the man to the vigilante, who was posing as an underage boy.

No arrests have yet been made as police investigate the full circumstances of the confrontation. Police would not confirm whether the accused man has been interviewed.

The vigilante, who did not wish to be named, told The Advertiser that he did not “mete out my own type of punishment” and stressed he wanted police to conduct their own investigations.

The father of one, aged in his 40s, said he embarked on the sting because he had been abused as a teenager and wanted to expose sex offenders.

He declined to reveal what platforms the grooming occurred on.

But police raised concerns about videos being posted online and the “risk these may further create to all parties involved”. They also raised concerns about potential defamation.

The officer in charge of the Sturt CIB, Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Overmeyer, “strongly” urged the community not to take the law into their own hands as they may “expose themselves to facing criminal charges”.

“Let us do our job,” he said in a statement.

“Don’t take the law into your own hands in relation to any criminal matter. If you have information, or suspect that a criminal act has taken place — contact the police.

“Anyone who believes they have evidence of criminal behaviour should call police, not create a confrontation which, in turn, could create a risk to personal safety.”

Law Society President Tony Rossi said while a citizen’s arrest was legal, vigilantes didn’t help in the “administration of justice” and it was the role of police to detain and arrest alleged offenders.

“It is permissible for a citizen to arrest and detain a person is if that person is in the act of

committing or has just committed a serious criminal offence,” Mr Rossi said.

“A citizen’s arrest is permissible in circumstances of a reasonable belief that someone has your stolen property.

“That is why store detectives or security guards may arrest a person for such offences against an employer.”

He said “so-called vigilante justice against paedophiles” could see people breaking the law and charged with unlawful arrest, stalking and trespassing.

“If someone thinks a criminal offence has been committed the proper course of action is to call the police and let them do their job,” he said.

Police question the man at Torrens Park train station.

The law around citizen’s arrests

SA’s Criminal Law Consolidation Act 1935

Section 271 — General power of arrest

(1) A person may, without warrant, arrest and detain a person liable to arrest and detention under this section.

(2) A person who arrests and detains another under this section must take the necessary action to have the other person delivered into the custody of a member of the police force forthwith.

(3) A person is liable to arrest and detention under this section if the person is in the act of committing, or has just committed—

(a) an indictable offence; or

(b) theft (whether the theft is a summary or indictable offence); or

(c) an offence against the person (whether the offence is summary or indictable); or

(d) an offence involving interference with, damage to or destruction of property (whether the offence is summary or indictable).