GoFundMe page raising money for Adelaide ‘paedophile’ hunter after he’s charged

ADELAIDE’S self-proclaimed paedophile hunter — hailed a community hero for his vigilante ways — will use fundraising money to fight criminal charges after two undercover stings landed him in hot water with the law.

• ‘Paedophile’ hunter charged over online stings
• First sting: Middle-aged man confronted at train station
• Second sting: Younger man pleads ‘you’ve scared me, I’m shaking’

ADELAIDE’S self-proclaimed paedophile hunter — hailed a community hero for his vigilante ways — will use fundraising money to fight criminal charges after two undercover stings landed him in hot water with the law.

The 42-year-old man helped police close in on two alleged sex predators after posing as a teenage boy online.

But in an unexpected twist, police charged him on Friday with aggravated assault, two counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, and one count of publishing the identity of a person charged with a sexual offence.

He was granted police bail and will face Adelaide Magistrates Court in February.

Since then, a GoFundMe page supporting the “amazing man” has been set up to help cover legal costs.

About 20 people have so far raised $2395 of the $5000 goal. The page was created on Christmas Eve and encourages people to take the opportunity to “give something back” to the father of one.

The Adelaide ‘pedo’ hunter in a video statement he posted online.

“(He) has done our community proud,” the page reads.

“He took it upon himself to track down child predators and bring them to justice, only to be arrested himself for tracking down the paedophiles. He’s now being charged for the ‘offences’. Offences have brought criminals to justice and making our community safer for children.

“Let’s get behind (him), our local hero, and show our support for doing not only our community a service, but humanity.”

Other significant donations have been made through different channels and a support page on Facebook has almost 700 members.

The man, from Adelaide’s western suburbs, previously told The Advertiser his goal was to expose sex offenders.

The man’s first sting was at Torrens Park train station on December 14, when the vigilante accused a middle-aged man of attempting to groom an under-age boy for sex via the internet.

During the confrontation he grabbed the alleged paedophile’s shirt.

Three days later he struck again, performing a citizen’s arrest on a 28-year-old man at Sheidow Park, who was later charged with procuring a child to commit an indecent act.

Videos of both stings were uploaded online, but the identities of the targeted men were not kept secret.

South Australian law bans the publication of the identity of people charged with a sexual offence until they either plead guilty or are committed to stand trial.

However, police condemn the risky behaviour of vigilante campaigns and warn confrontations have the potential to turn violent.

Since the start of 2015, police had completed more than 70 covert operations targeting paedophiles, arresting 14 alleged sex predators, with many sent to jail.