Police probe Melbourne “predator hunters” exposing alleged pedos online

Police are investigating a Melbourne based vigilante gang who have shot to fame luring alleged pedophiles into public settings and shaming them online, but the group says they have no intention of slowing down.

Police are investigating a Melbourne based vigilante gang who lure alleged pedophiles into public settings and shame them online.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said local detectives are now looking into auspredhunters, who have amassed 16,000 Instagram followers in just two months.

The group, who claim to be the top “predator hunters” in the country, publish content exposing alleged pedophiles on their social media pages.

Posing as teenage boys on fake accounts, auspredhunters organise to meet up with their targets and then confront them; publicly humiliating, verbally bombarding, and sometimes even physically harassing who they claim are child predators.

The group use text message exchanges as proof of wrongdoing and claim to have submitted all evidence collected to “the relevant authorities” – however, police say they are doing more harm than good.

“We strongly discourage people from taking the law into their own hands,” the police spokeswoman said.

“Instead, we urge anyone with information to contact triple-0 or local police.”

“Our police officers are well trained to deal with these situations and will carry out appropriate investigations.”

The group have amassed 16,000 Instagram followers in just two months.

Founding member Andy Di Lorenzo said while the group acknowledge the role of law enforcement, they have no intention of slowing down.

“If they (police) were to say not to do it I’d totally understand that and I respect them first and foremost because they are the ones out there working … to put these guys away,” he said.

“But if we get a couple of people aware of a potential predator that has come to meet a 13-year-old boy, which we are starting to do, that’s a big tick in our books.”

The operations have exposed school teachers, junior tennis coaches, and former children’s court staff, Mr Di Lorenzo claimed.

“We get hundreds of messages from people saying ‘I know that guy, he was in the same workplace as me’ … a lot of these guys are out and about in the community and not a lot of people know.”

Mr Di Lorenzo said he was not surprised by the group’s rapid growth in popularity because “no one else” in Australia was “platforming” predator hunting like them.

The group has no plans to slow down despite police warning they are doing more harm than good.

ACU research associate Dr Emma Hussey, who wrote her PhD thesis on pedophile hunters, said this specific form of vigilantism was not new in Australia is on the rise because of access to social media.

“Watching people get what they deserve is pleasurable for people … the pedophile is one of the most reviled people within our modern society and people see this extrajudicial punishment as ‘just deserts’,” she said.

“What these groups are doing is enacting this ‘spectacle of pain’ and feeding off it; not necessarily for bad reasons … but it can lead to adverse consequences.”

Dr Hussey warned the public humiliation rituals performed by auspredhunters could unfairly impact others.

“It has led to suicide, people who aren’t guilty being accused, and punishment of people within that person’s family.”

Originally published as Police probe Melbourne “predator hunters” exposing alleged pedos online