Exactly. There is a big difference between attraction to young pre-pubescent children and an attraction to a 15-year-old. One is a perversion and the other (regardless of the legalities or moralities) is a natural evolutionary inclination. That is, it is natural to be attracted to those who offer the best physical chance of being able to procreate.
One cannot simply reverse hundreds-of-thousands-of-years of evolution with a mere century or two of Mary Whitehouse hysteria.
.
Ohhh, right, I get it now....it's okay to have illegal sex with underage girls/boys, because evolution has programed men/women to respond that way? Uh-huh....
I think as adults, the onus is - rightfuly - on us to be in control of our sexual urges, not to let them control us.
And actually, female fertility peaks in her early to mid twenties, so biologically speaking, that argument makes no sense. I'd have to hunt down the studies on male fertility, but I've got a feeling that it would reflect a similar age bracket (or possibly older).
Ohhh, right, I get it now....it's okay to have illegal sex with underage girls/boys, because evolution has programed men/women to respond that way? Uh-huh....
I think as adults, the onus is - rightfuly - on us to be in control of our sexual urges, not to let them control us.
You don't seem to realise that the legal limit of whether someone is under or over the age of consent is an artificial construct that does not necessarily reflect actual reality. At 15 I was perfectly capable of consenting.
People such as yourself do young adults a disservice by patronising them and making out that they are too stupid or immature to know their own minds. It's this stubborn mindset and refusal to listen to the views and opinions of young adults in their real lives that pushes them towards strangers on the internet; the very thing that you are against.
You don't seem to realise that the legal limit of whether someone is under or over the age of consent is an artificial construct that does not necessarily reflect actual reality. At 15 I was perfectly capable of consenting.
People such as yourself do young adults a disservice by patronising them and making out that they are too stupid or immature to know their own minds. It's this stubborn mindset and refusal to listen to the views and opinions of young adults in their real lives that pushes them towards strangers on the internet; the very thing that you are against.
All laws are artificial constructs. That does not make them any less necessary.
Nobody is saying that teenagers are ‘stupid’. However, they do fundamentally lack the knowledge, experience and comprehension required in order to make fully informed choices. From a purely biological view point, a child’s brain is not fully developed until the age of at least 18. For these reasons, teenagers cannot vote and are treated differently to adults in criminal cases. It is also why the age of consent is set at 16. It protects children who are incapable of giving informed consent from adults who would otherwise exploit them sexually.
And as for refusing to listen to the views and opinions of teenagers…well, frankly, the only people that I see arguing for the lowering of the age of consent are adult men. Funny that.
To get serious, however - I actually work with vulnerable youngsters day in, day out. That’s my job. That’s what I do professionally. I listen to these kids, and I know what damage early and coerced sexualisation can do. You say that you had a sexual relationship with an adult at the age of 15? And you’ve suffered no ill effects from it? If that’s the case, then I'm glad for you - but I would also say that your experience is the exception as opposed to the norm, and in no way negates the suffering that most children/teenagers have to live with following from exploitation from an adult.
So many mixed feelings and I still don't know where I stand. I think the PH does need help. I think he is doing this to exorcise some demons. I also believe he in motivated to protect the kids.
I am pretty sure it isn't entrapment and that is why he doesn't make the first move.
It is dangerous stuff but I think the world is a better place for him doing it than not. I think it would be better if there was some way that the police could train him and have a bit more control.
I do not hold him responsible for the suicide at all. The responsibility for that is on the man himself.
It certainly *is* entrapment in my book. Those middle aged saddos would probably be used to being rebuffed and rejected any time they go on the internet and then all of a sudden they have a "girl" or "boy" who wants to meet up with them and have sex with them with no questions asked. He's deliberately putting temptation their way and enticing them to commit a crime.
Anyone could fall for entrapment and be humiliated by it. I could leave a bag of cash containing £2000 in your front garden, you could find it and keep it and then I could show up a week later with my vigilante mates and their cameras and accuse you of being a thief and of being profoundly dishonest.
What I hope from Stinson or copycats is that it will reduce the numbers of pedophiles who attempt to meet up with children. It will never rid the world of these people, they will always be there, but if there is a risk of being splashed all over facebook then it might prevent them.
Even if it puts off one person and it stops one sexual assault, it has achieved something. One less person who has to experience the severe trauma of sexual abuse.
Disgusted at some of the comments on here. Stinson should be given a bloody medal for what he does. Or a £50k a year job by the police.
I wonder if people would be quick to make excuses for these scumbags/slag off Stinson if they'd been on his website and looked at the full chat logs these perverts have had with these 'kids'. What they showed on the programme was tame compared to the full conversations.
It certainly *is* entrapment in my book. Those middle aged saddos would probably be used to being rebuffed and rejected any time they go on the internet and then all of a sudden they have a "girl" or "boy" who wants to meet up with them and have sex with them with no questions asked. He's deliberately putting temptation their way and enticing them to commit a crime.
Anyone could fall for entrapment and be humiliated by it. I could leave a bag of cash containing £2000 in your front garden, you could find it and keep it and then I could show up a week later with my vigilante mates and their cameras and accuse you of being a thief and of being profoundly dishonest.
Wtf?! You can NOT be serious. That is seriously disturbing. He's tempting them to have sex with a child?! Any sane person with morals, no matter if a child was laid naked and begging them for sex, would not do it. That BIB is seriously disturbing.
It certainly *is* entrapment in my book. Those middle aged saddos would probably be used to being rebuffed and rejected any time they go on the internet and then all of a sudden they have a "girl" or "boy" who wants to meet up with them and have sex with them with no questions asked. He's deliberately putting temptation their way and enticing them to commit a crime.
Anyone could fall for entrapment and be humiliated by it. I could leave a bag of cash containing £2000 in your front garden, you could find it and keep it and then I could show up a week later with my vigilante mates and their cameras and accuse you of being a thief and of being profoundly dishonest.
Entrapment as a legal term only applies when a person is coerced into committing a crime that they would not otherwise have committed. However, there is no entrapment where a person is ready and willing to break the law, and the police officer (or vigilante, in this case) merely provides what appears to be a favourable opportunity for the person to do so.
So in the case of what was shown on the documentary, for example: no entrapment took place, because the men contacting Stinson/arranging to meet/sending explicit messages did so under their own initiative, and at no point was Stinson shown as coercing or forcing these men. If anything, he seems to go out of his way to give these men numerous opportunities to get out of the conversation with the ‘target‘ (e.g. reminding them of the child’s age, making the child express doubt or trepidation etc). That’s not to say that he’s not treading a fine line, but he certainly does not appear to be acting illegally in terms of entrapment. Frankly, it would not be in his interest to overstep the mark - the documentary makes it clear that Stinson passes all evidence onto the police, and any subjection of illegal entrapment would invalidate his own work.
Besides, irrespective of whether Stinson turns up with a camera or not - if an adult man knowingly seeks or encourages sexual contact with a child under the legal age of consent (whether it is photos, cyber sex, or physical activity), he is a sexual predator. And you can argue the rights and wrongs of Stinson’s actions all day, but all that does is excuse and deflect from the real criminals here - the sick men that prey on vulnerable kids.
With all due respect Eurostar your book is not as relevant as the law.
middle aged saddos would probably be used to being rebuffed and rejected any time they go on the internet and then all of a sudden they have a "girl" or "boy" who wants to meet up with them and have sex with them with no questions asked. He's deliberately putting temptation their way and enticing them to commit a crime.
He is not approaching them. Virtually the first thing he does is give the age and they do the perusing.
Anyone could fall for entrapment and be humiliated by it
. They did the persuing And not anyone. Only those who are prepared to do what they are prepared to.
I could leave a bag of cash containing £2000 in your front garden, you could find it and keep it and then I could show up a week later with my vigilante mates and their cameras and accuse you of being a thief and of being profoundly dishonest
You could only do that if I did keep it and if I dud you would be right I would be dishonest. There is a big difference in terms of the potential dangerousness of someone who would hold on to money in their garden and those who would groom minors.
What I hope from Stinson or copycats is that it will reduce the numbers of pedophiles who attempt to meet up with children. It will never rid the world of these people, they will always be there, but if there is a risk of being splashed all over facebook then it might prevent them.
Even if it puts off one person and it stops one sexual assault, it has achieved something. One less person who has to experience the severe trauma of sexual abuse.
That is my hope top. I think more children would be protected if there was more police control of it all.
All laws are artificial constructs. That does not make them any less necessary.
Nobody is saying that teenagers are ‘stupid’. However, they do fundamentally lack the knowledge, experience and comprehension required in order to make fully informed choices. From a purely biological view point, a child’s brain is not fully developed until the age of at least 18. For these reasons, teenagers cannot vote and are treated differently to adults in criminal cases. It is also why the age of consent is set at 16. It protects children who are incapable of giving informed consent from adults who would otherwise exploit them sexually.
And as for refusing to listen to the views and opinions of teenagers…well, frankly, the only people that I see arguing for the lowering of the age of consent are adult men. Funny that.
To get serious, however - I actually work with vulnerable youngsters day in, day out. That’s my job. That’s what I do professionally. I listen to these kids, and I know what damage early and coerced sexualisation can do. You say that you had a sexual relationship with an adult at the age of 15? And you’ve suffered no ill effects from it? If that’s the case, then I'm glad for you - but I would also say that your experience is the exception as opposed to the norm, and in no way negates the suffering that most children/teenagers have to live with following from exploitation from an adult.
They probably feel like they are being exploited because they are constantly being told by media, society and psychologists that they have been exploited. The more people plant an idea in your mind, the more you start to believe it to be the truth.
Now, as a bisexual male, I know this - if, at 15-years-old, I had been able to enter into a relationship with a man in his late teens or twenties, it would have done me the world of good.
Thousands of young lesbian, gay and bisexual people are killing themselves each year because of bullying, or because they think they will never have a future with someone, or because their family have turned against them. I believe that if (as teenagers) they had been allowed to enter into affectionate, secure relationships with confident older mentors in their late teens or twenties (forget about middle-aged people for now) who had endured similar and who had good hearts and were in a position to support them, then many of their lives could have been saved.
Wtf?! You can NOT be serious. That is seriously disturbing. He's tempting them to have sex with a child?! Any sane person with morals, no matter if a child was laid naked and begging them for sex, would not do it. That BIB is seriously disturbing.
It's not disturbing in the slightest. He's tempting them with the opportunity to do something that they (presumably) would never normally have the opportunity to do. We already know that these men who are being entrapped are more than likely sexually attracted to underage people, that's just the way they are and it is what is, no matter how unsavoury it sounds to us. If that is their inclination, then of course they are going to be tempted if a supposed opportunity arises with no strings attached.
I imagine what you're really saying is that the idea of adults being sexually attracted to children or teenagers is seriously disturbing, but that's an entirely different angle to what is being discussed.
With all due respect Eurostar your book is not as relevant as the law.
He is not approaching them. Virtually the first thing he does is give the age and they do the perusing.
. They did the persuing And not anyone. Only those who are prepared to do what they are prepared to.
You could only do that if I did keep it and if I dud you would be right I would be dishonest. There is a big difference in terms of the potential dangerousness of someone who would hold on to money in their garden and those who would groom minors.
Yes, but these middle aged saddos and weirdos are pursuing a completely non existent child or teenager (having presumably being rebuffed countless times by real ones - I'm guessing 99.9% of teenagers are not remotely interested in a sexual encounter with a balding, bespectacled 45 year old they've come across on the internet).
If our vigilante friend is tempting these saddos to do something they would normally never even have the opportunity to do, then it becomes very problematic.
It's not disturbing in the slightest. He's tempting them with the opportunity to do something that they (presumably) would never normally have the opportunity to do. We already know that these men who are being entrapped are more than likely sexually attracted to underage people, that's just the way they are and it is what is, no matter how unsavoury it sounds to us. If that is their inclination, then of course they are going to be tempted if a supposed opportunity arises with no strings attached.
It is not about being tempted. It is about being prepared to act on that tempation and there is only an "of course" about that in relation to those who pose a danger to minors.
Why are you presuming that they would not normally have the opportunity? Unfortunately there are far too many minors who make themselves vulnerable to this on the Internet.
Yes, but these middle aged saddos and weirdos are pursuing a completely non existent child or teenager (having presumably being rebuffed countless times by real ones - I'm guessing 99.9% of teenagers are not remotely interested in a sexual encounter with a balding, bespectacled 45 year old they've come across on the internet).
If our vigilante friend is tempting these saddos to do something they would normally never even have the opportunity to do, then it becomes very problematic.
I think you have a very naïve about the amount of grooming that goes on. More of our police would be doing what this guy is doing if they had the resources.
They probably feel like they are being exploited because they are constantly being told by media, society and psychologists that they have been exploited. The more people plant an idea in your mind, the more you start to believe it to be the truth.
Now, as a bisexual male, I know this - if, at 15-years-old, I had been able to enter into a relationship with a man in his late teens or twenties, it would have done me the world of good.
Thousands of young lesbian, gay and bisexual people are killing themselves each year because of bullying, or because they think they will never have a future with someone, or because their family have turned against them. I believe that if (as teenagers) they had been allowed to enter into affectionate, secure relationships with confident older mentors in their late teens or twenties (forget about middle-aged people for now) who had endured similar and who had good hearts and were in a position to support them, then many of their lives could have been saved.
I really don't know what to say, but I'm finding some of these posts quite disturbing.
They probably feel like they are being exploited because they are constantly being told by media, society and psychologists that they have been exploited. The more people plant an idea in your mind, the more you start to believe it to be the truth.
Now, as a bisexual male, I know this - if, at 15-years-old, I had been able to enter into a relationship with a man in his late teens or twenties, it would have done me the world of good.
Thousands of young lesbian, gay and bisexual people are killing themselves each year because of bullying, or because they think they will never have a future with someone, or because their family have turned against them. I believe that if (as teenagers) they had been allowed to enter into affectionate, secure relationships with confident older mentors in their late teens or twenties (forget about middle-aged people for now) who had endured similar and who had good hearts and were in a position to support them, then many of their lives could have been saved.
But that isn't relevant to middle aged men grooming children to sexually abuse them?
This relationship with an older mentor presumably would have built up from a friendship that developed into more and created an equal relationship.
These are men who have only one intent as evidenced by their online chat. They don't want an affectionate, secure and loving relationship with a child.
They probably feel like they are being exploited because they are constantly being told by media, society and psychologists that they have been exploited. The more people plant an idea in your mind, the more you start to believe it to be the truth.
Now, as a bisexual male, I know this - if, at 15-years-old, I had been able to enter into a relationship with a man in his late teens or twenties, it would have done me the world of good.
Thousands of young lesbian, gay and bisexual people are killing themselves each year because of bullying, or because they think they will never have a future with someone, or because their family have turned against them. I believe that if (as teenagers) they had been allowed to enter into affectionate, secure relationships with confident older mentors in their late teens or twenties (forget about middle-aged people for now) who had endured similar and who had good hearts and were in a position to support them, then many of their lives could have been saved.
...You do know that older people can be mentors and allies to teenagers without having sex with them, right?
Mad, huh?
Frankly, if you are looking to ‘help’ a vulnerable teenager who is struggling with his or her sexuality through the magical healing powers of your d*ck, then you have no business being around kids. No business whatsoever. And I apologise for putting it so bluntly, but as someone who does work with young people (of all shades of LGBTQ), I would call what you are suggesting nothing short of outright sexual exploitation.
This thread is getting creepier and creepier, questioning his methods is fine but now people are questioning whether these men did anything wrong or whether its the 'child's' fault etc
These men are dangerous and the fact that they are now known to police makes the world a safer place for every kid with internet access and kids in their area
Disgusted at some of the comments on here. Stinson should be given a bloody medal for what he does. Or a £50k a year job by the police.
I wonder if people would be quick to make excuses for these scumbags/slag off Stinson if they'd been on his website and looked at the full chat logs these perverts have had with these 'kids'. What they showed on the programme was tame compared to the full conversations.
I've read the chat logs of one of his targets; Paul from Blackburn, who I could weep for. The chat logs reveal that the 'girl' claimed to be 14 but her pictures evidently showed that she looked a lot older (the decoy model was actually over 18). During the conversation, it becomes obvious that Paul is lonely, timid and socially awkward man who has little to no experience with regard to relationships with females (in fact, he is probably less socially and romantically experienced than the majority of teenagers are).
The most Paul suggested in his chats was sitting on the couch, eating pizza and kissing and cuddling. Yes, of course that was wrong, but this is a young man who appears quite childlike himself, and certainly isn't some hardcore sex fiend looking to get his jollies.
Stinson responds childishly from the outset by labelling him "Paul the Nonce" in the contact book of his phone.
He then meets him, as seen in this video, where he lords it over the ashen-faced young man.
...You do know that older people can be mentors and allies to teenagers without having sex with them, right?
Mad, huh?
Frankly, if you are looking to ‘help’ a vulnerable teenager who is struggling with his or her sexuality through the magical healing powers of your d*ck, then you have no business being around kids. No business whatsoever. And I apologise for putting it so bluntly, but as someone who does work with young people (of all shades of LGBTQ), I would call what you are suggesting nothing short of outright sexual exploitation.
I'm looking to do no such thing, thank you. I'm talking about what would have helped me. As a 15-year-old, the laws in place prevented older people feeling comfortable reaching out to me.
I've read the chat logs of one of his targets; Paul from Blackburn, who I could weep for. The chat logs reveal that the 'girl' claimed to be 14 but her pictures evidently showed that she looked a lot older (the decoy model was actually over 18). During the conversation, it becomes obvious that Paul is lonely, timid and socially awkward man who has little to no experience with regard to relationships with females (in fact, he is probably less socially and romantically experienced than the majority of teenagers are).
The most Paul suggested in his chats was sitting on the couch, eating pizza and kissing and cuddling. Yes, of course that was wrong, but this is a young man who appears quite childlike himself, and certainly isn't some hardcore sex fiend looking to get his jollies.
Stinson responds childishly from the outset by labelling him "Paul the Nonce" in the contact book of his phone.
He then meets him, as seen in this video, where he lords it over the ashen-faced young man.
I think that anyone who is prepared to show up is a danger even if in his one head he only intends a kiss and a cuddle, which, despite initial intentions can progress. I can feel more sympathy to a social in adequate who feels a young teenager is less scary than an age peer. However they cam be dangerous too if they are prepared to cross lines.
I would agree though that in some places it seemed as if his focus was more vilification than protection. That is way I would be happier if he got a bit of therapy and was under more police control.
I've read the chat logs of one of his targets; Paul from Blackburn, who I could weep for. The chat logs reveal that the 'girl' claimed to be 14 but her pictures evidently showed that she looked a lot older (the decoy model was actually over 18).
I can't access Stinson's website at the moment, so I can't comment on the case that you're referring to, but I do want to point out that it doesn't matter if a man thinks that a girl looks older - if she says that she's underage, then he has a legal obligation to treat her as such. This is an argument that comes up time and time again whenever cases of rape or sexual exploitation of young girls hit the media ('well officer, she looked/acted/dressed older than fourteen! What was I supposed to do?!'). It's victim blaming, pure and simple, and it does nothing but try and deflect blame from the actual perpetrator.
Disgusted at some of the comments on here. Stinson should be given a bloody medal for what he does. Or a £50k a year job by the police.
I wonder if people would be quick to make excuses for these scumbags/slag off Stinson if they'd been on his website and looked at the full chat logs these perverts have had with these 'kids'. What they showed on the programme was tame compared to the full conversations.
Yes, let's pay this man out of the public purse to continue what he is doing rather than asking out police services to do it.
It is not about being tempted. It is about being prepared to act on that tempation and there is only an "of course" about that in relation to those who pose a danger to minors.
Why are you presuming that they would not normally have the opportunity? Unfortunately there are far too many minors who make themselves vulnerable to this on the Internet.
Yes, but what percentage of teenagers are actually meeting up with middle aged perverts they've met on the internet for sex? I'm guessing the percentages must be relatively tiny : the overwhelming number would be interacting with people their own age.
I've a feeling the incidences of this happening may be greatly exaggerated by the media. For sure, there may well be large numbers of perverts and weirdos trying to make contact with young people but probably unsuccessfully. Those very vulnerable and isolated youngsters who do end up in this scenario are perhaps already damaged individuals, at risk of being exploited in all aspects of their lives, not just sexually : these are often your future drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes, petty criminals, homeless people etc.
Comments
Ohhh, right, I get it now....it's okay to have illegal sex with underage girls/boys, because evolution has programed men/women to respond that way? Uh-huh....
I think as adults, the onus is - rightfuly - on us to be in control of our sexual urges, not to let them control us.
And actually, female fertility peaks in her early to mid twenties, so biologically speaking, that argument makes no sense. I'd have to hunt down the studies on male fertility, but I've got a feeling that it would reflect a similar age bracket (or possibly older).
You don't seem to realise that the legal limit of whether someone is under or over the age of consent is an artificial construct that does not necessarily reflect actual reality. At 15 I was perfectly capable of consenting.
People such as yourself do young adults a disservice by patronising them and making out that they are too stupid or immature to know their own minds. It's this stubborn mindset and refusal to listen to the views and opinions of young adults in their real lives that pushes them towards strangers on the internet; the very thing that you are against.
It certainly *is* entrapment in my book. Those middle aged saddos would probably be used to being rebuffed and rejected any time they go on the internet and then all of a sudden they have a "girl" or "boy" who wants to meet up with them and have sex with them with no questions asked. He's deliberately putting temptation their way and enticing them to commit a crime.
Anyone could fall for entrapment and be humiliated by it. I could leave a bag of cash containing £2000 in your front garden, you could find it and keep it and then I could show up a week later with my vigilante mates and their cameras and accuse you of being a thief and of being profoundly dishonest.
What I hope from Stinson or copycats is that it will reduce the numbers of pedophiles who attempt to meet up with children. It will never rid the world of these people, they will always be there, but if there is a risk of being splashed all over facebook then it might prevent them.
Even if it puts off one person and it stops one sexual assault, it has achieved something. One less person who has to experience the severe trauma of sexual abuse.
I wonder if people would be quick to make excuses for these scumbags/slag off Stinson if they'd been on his website and looked at the full chat logs these perverts have had with these 'kids'. What they showed on the programme was tame compared to the full conversations.
Wtf?! You can NOT be serious. That is seriously disturbing. He's tempting them to have sex with a child?! Any sane person with morals, no matter if a child was laid naked and begging them for sex, would not do it. That BIB is seriously disturbing.
Entrapment as a legal term only applies when a person is coerced into committing a crime that they would not otherwise have committed. However, there is no entrapment where a person is ready and willing to break the law, and the police officer (or vigilante, in this case) merely provides what appears to be a favourable opportunity for the person to do so.
So in the case of what was shown on the documentary, for example: no entrapment took place, because the men contacting Stinson/arranging to meet/sending explicit messages did so under their own initiative, and at no point was Stinson shown as coercing or forcing these men. If anything, he seems to go out of his way to give these men numerous opportunities to get out of the conversation with the ‘target‘ (e.g. reminding them of the child’s age, making the child express doubt or trepidation etc). That’s not to say that he’s not treading a fine line, but he certainly does not appear to be acting illegally in terms of entrapment. Frankly, it would not be in his interest to overstep the mark - the documentary makes it clear that Stinson passes all evidence onto the police, and any subjection of illegal entrapment would invalidate his own work.
Besides, irrespective of whether Stinson turns up with a camera or not - if an adult man knowingly seeks or encourages sexual contact with a child under the legal age of consent (whether it is photos, cyber sex, or physical activity), he is a sexual predator. And you can argue the rights and wrongs of Stinson’s actions all day, but all that does is excuse and deflect from the real criminals here - the sick men that prey on vulnerable kids.
He is not approaching them. Virtually the first thing he does is give the age and they do the perusing. . They did the persuing And not anyone. Only those who are prepared to do what they are prepared to.
You could only do that if I did keep it and if I dud you would be right I would be dishonest. There is a big difference in terms of the potential dangerousness of someone who would hold on to money in their garden and those who would groom minors.
That is my hope top. I think more children would be protected if there was more police control of it all.
They probably feel like they are being exploited because they are constantly being told by media, society and psychologists that they have been exploited. The more people plant an idea in your mind, the more you start to believe it to be the truth.
Now, as a bisexual male, I know this - if, at 15-years-old, I had been able to enter into a relationship with a man in his late teens or twenties, it would have done me the world of good.
Thousands of young lesbian, gay and bisexual people are killing themselves each year because of bullying, or because they think they will never have a future with someone, or because their family have turned against them. I believe that if (as teenagers) they had been allowed to enter into affectionate, secure relationships with confident older mentors in their late teens or twenties (forget about middle-aged people for now) who had endured similar and who had good hearts and were in a position to support them, then many of their lives could have been saved.
It's not disturbing in the slightest. He's tempting them with the opportunity to do something that they (presumably) would never normally have the opportunity to do. We already know that these men who are being entrapped are more than likely sexually attracted to underage people, that's just the way they are and it is what is, no matter how unsavoury it sounds to us. If that is their inclination, then of course they are going to be tempted if a supposed opportunity arises with no strings attached.
I imagine what you're really saying is that the idea of adults being sexually attracted to children or teenagers is seriously disturbing, but that's an entirely different angle to what is being discussed.
Yes, but these middle aged saddos and weirdos are pursuing a completely non existent child or teenager (having presumably being rebuffed countless times by real ones - I'm guessing 99.9% of teenagers are not remotely interested in a sexual encounter with a balding, bespectacled 45 year old they've come across on the internet).
If our vigilante friend is tempting these saddos to do something they would normally never even have the opportunity to do, then it becomes very problematic.
Why are you presuming that they would not normally have the opportunity? Unfortunately there are far too many minors who make themselves vulnerable to this on the Internet.
I really don't know what to say, but I'm finding some of these posts quite disturbing.
But that isn't relevant to middle aged men grooming children to sexually abuse them?
This relationship with an older mentor presumably would have built up from a friendship that developed into more and created an equal relationship.
These are men who have only one intent as evidenced by their online chat. They don't want an affectionate, secure and loving relationship with a child.
...You do know that older people can be mentors and allies to teenagers without having sex with them, right?
Mad, huh?
Frankly, if you are looking to ‘help’ a vulnerable teenager who is struggling with his or her sexuality through the magical healing powers of your d*ck, then you have no business being around kids. No business whatsoever. And I apologise for putting it so bluntly, but as someone who does work with young people (of all shades of LGBTQ), I would call what you are suggesting nothing short of outright sexual exploitation.
These men are dangerous and the fact that they are now known to police makes the world a safer place for every kid with internet access and kids in their area
I've read the chat logs of one of his targets; Paul from Blackburn, who I could weep for. The chat logs reveal that the 'girl' claimed to be 14 but her pictures evidently showed that she looked a lot older (the decoy model was actually over 18). During the conversation, it becomes obvious that Paul is lonely, timid and socially awkward man who has little to no experience with regard to relationships with females (in fact, he is probably less socially and romantically experienced than the majority of teenagers are).
The most Paul suggested in his chats was sitting on the couch, eating pizza and kissing and cuddling. Yes, of course that was wrong, but this is a young man who appears quite childlike himself, and certainly isn't some hardcore sex fiend looking to get his jollies.
Stinson responds childishly from the outset by labelling him "Paul the Nonce" in the contact book of his phone.
He then meets him, as seen in this video, where he lords it over the ashen-faced young man.
I'm looking to do no such thing, thank you. I'm talking about what would have helped me. As a 15-year-old, the laws in place prevented older people feeling comfortable reaching out to me.
I would agree though that in some places it seemed as if his focus was more vilification than protection. That is way I would be happier if he got a bit of therapy and was under more police control.
I can't access Stinson's website at the moment, so I can't comment on the case that you're referring to, but I do want to point out that it doesn't matter if a man thinks that a girl looks older - if she says that she's underage, then he has a legal obligation to treat her as such. This is an argument that comes up time and time again whenever cases of rape or sexual exploitation of young girls hit the media ('well officer, she looked/acted/dressed older than fourteen! What was I supposed to do?!'). It's victim blaming, pure and simple, and it does nothing but try and deflect blame from the actual perpetrator.
Yes, let's pay this man out of the public purse to continue what he is doing rather than asking out police services to do it.
Some people on here.
Yes, but what percentage of teenagers are actually meeting up with middle aged perverts they've met on the internet for sex? I'm guessing the percentages must be relatively tiny : the overwhelming number would be interacting with people their own age.
I've a feeling the incidences of this happening may be greatly exaggerated by the media. For sure, there may well be large numbers of perverts and weirdos trying to make contact with young people but probably unsuccessfully. Those very vulnerable and isolated youngsters who do end up in this scenario are perhaps already damaged individuals, at risk of being exploited in all aspects of their lives, not just sexually : these are often your future drug addicts, alcoholics, prostitutes, petty criminals, homeless people etc.