Vigilantes escape conviction over paedophile extortion attempt
Three “amateur” vigilantes who wanted to expose paedophiles found a man online by pretending to be a 14-year-old girl. They met him outside a Sunshine supermarket — but ended up facing blackmail charges when one group member went off-script.
North
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Three vigilantes threatened to “expose” a man they met online as a paedophile if he didn’t hand over cash or the keys to his car, a court has heard.
Young mum Amanda Scully, 22, her boyfriend Jestony Vella, 25, and friend Tamai Tautuhi, 20, were last month sentenced in the County Court for the bungled blackmail attempt.
Scully, a mum of two young girls, posed as a 14-year-old girl online in June last year using the dating app Skout and arranged to meet her 37-year-old victim outside a Sunshine supermarket, the court heard.
The man planned to pick Scully up and take her to his home where they would watch a movie, but he was instead surrounded by Scully, Vella, and Tautuhi when he arrived and was accused of being a paedophile.
Scully threatened to report the man to police and “expose” him on social media if he didn’t pay her $1000 or give them the keys to his car, the court heard.
But things backfired when the man refused and instead took a photo of the group and made a complaint to police, Judge Michael Cahill said.
“The three of you told police your intention was to confront an adult who had agreed to meet a 14-year-old girl … you said your intention was to shame paedophiles,” Judge Cahill said.
“I have watched your film and the carpark CCTV footage of the episode, it was a bungled blackmail. The scene was relatively calm, none of you yelled or remonstrated with the victim.”
Scully later told police her demands for payment were made on the “spur of the moment”, but Judge Cahill said he accepted the prosecution’s submission vigilantism could not be condoned.
Judge Cahill described the trio’s scheme as “amateurish and incompetent”.
“You said your intention was to shame paedophiles, you (initially) denied demanding money or (a) car from your victim,” Judge Cahill said.
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“When police played you a recording of the episode you admitted you did make the demand, you said it was your idea and you made it on the spur of the moment.”
Scully, Vella and Tautuhi each faced a maximum 15 years’ prison for blackmail, but Judge Cahill said all three were remorseful and unlikely to reoffend.
Scully and Vella were each sentenced to a two-year community corrections order and must do 150 hours of unpaid community work.
Tautuhi was handed a one-year community corrections order and must complete 100 hours of work. All three escaped conviction.