Fears people will be killed as Facebook ‘snitch’ page names alleged informants

THERE are fears someone will “end up in a body bag” over a digital vigilante’s Facebook page purporting to out alleged police informants.

21/04/2010 NEWS: Generic Cyber safety photos. Laptop computer. Facebook.

LONG-TIME Glitter Strip figures say someone will ‘end up in a body bag’ over a digital vigilante’s Facebook page purporting to name alleged Gold Coast police informants.

The new social media page, which names and shames high-profile bikies and other local identities as alleged snitches, thieves, gold diggers, hard drug users and women bashers, has created a “massive stir” among the inner-city underbelly since appearing two weeks ago.

Run anonymously under the fake name “John Hicks”, the page contains multiple photos of bikies, strippers and bouncers.

“Someone is going to end up in a body bag basically,” an insider told the Gold Coast Bulletin last night.

A digital vigilante is running a Facebook page naming and shaming alleged Gold Coast police informants — and police are warning it could have “serious ramifications for a lot of people”.

“It has caused a massive stir and guys up on there are real hardcore. In terms of any of them being police informants that would be a pretty big deal.”

The page was shut down after about a week of launching, only to restart a few days ago.

A nightclub employee listed on the page as a “known police informant” told the Bulletin he was a “straight shooter” and not an informant and was laughing it off.

But he added the page host was playing with fire given some of the people being posted about: “When they find out whoever it is they are going to be in pretty deep s — t.”

The page’s main profile photo is a white message on a black background, telling people to “Follow for the Gold Coast biggest gronks”. The page has more than 200 ‘friends’.

Police urged who ever was behind the page to stop posting and shut it down immediately.

“Whoever is doing it would be well advised to reconsider pulling it down,” Gold Coast Acting senior sergeant Scott Burness said, adding it was a crime to publicly identify a police informant.

“What might be a bit of a joke to them could have some serious ramifications for a lot of people,” Mr Burness said.

However, the person behind the page has shown little concern about being caught, publishing a photo of movie stars laughing with the words: “When someone asks me to remove a picture because they’re offended”.

A post on the Facebook page late last week also urged: “PM us the dirt on people and we will post it as long as we can back it up”.

Another post on the same day read: “Recieving (sic) all these threatening messages about finding us and killing us, who says were even on the gold coast”.

The Gold Coast Bulletin yesterday contacted the person behind the page via Facebook, but they did not reply.

Originally published as Fears people will be killed as Facebook ‘snitch’ page names alleged informants