A regional daily has highlighted fresh concerns over the activities of a self-styled journalist and vigilante “paedophile hunter.”
The Star, Sheffield, spoke to the mother of a man caught in a “sting” by Stinson Hunter, who rose to prominence after his activities were featured in a TV documentary last year.
Stinson confronted the 26-year-old man, who it is claimed has the mental age of a child, after posing as a 14-year-old girl online and exchanging explicit text messages.
It is alleged the man, who The Star has not named , had intended to meet up with the fictional girl for sex.
Instead he was met by Stinson at Sheffield railway station, with footage of the confrontation later posted on his website.
An edited video of the meeting, which blurred out the man’s face, also featured on The Star’s website.
The man’s 48-year-old mother told The Star her son suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD and dyslexia, and fears he could now be a target for vigilante groups.
The woman, who admits the content of some of her son’s texts had been “disgusting”, estimates he has a mental age of between seven and 11.
She said: “He has learning disabilities, he has the mind of a child. His background should have been looked at before he was portrayed the way he has been.
“This was entrapment. Yes, what my son has done is wrong but he has the mind of a child aged between seven and 11.He is very easily led and does not comprehend sometimes what he is doing.
“There have been threats online, people know where he lives. I am worried what is going to happen to him and our family.”
Responding to the woman’s claims, Stinson said: “He told me he has ADHD and dyslexia – they do not excuse anyone trying to abuse a child. He admitted he knew it was wrong and he could get into trouble.”
Last month the Lancashire Evening Post led with a front page on Stinson’s activities after two men were arrested in Preston on suspicion of attempting to meet underage girls.
In the past his journalistic credentials have been questioned by Burton Mail columnist Steve Ashby, while Stinson’s hometown paper the Nuneaton News backed his plans to “take his crusade to parliament”.
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He always makes great headlines and im sure chartbeat will break with online readers. Interesting how his actions have polarised newspapers. Yes former hometown titles in Nuneaton and Coventry have to a large extent praised and supported him and been wary to write against him. Good to read here a more impartial approach.
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Love him or loathe him, but his kind of journalism is just what the public wants to see and it gets results. It’s the type of reporting that would sell papers again and get huge hits online. But because of cutbacks, it’s the kind of journalism that’s dying out.
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I think that when the ‘sting’ is over the police should handle it, I think posting images and video of suspects is irresponsible and could lead to violence.
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