A 38-year-old man from Chippenham was arrested in the centre of Bath on Tuesday evening, 20th June, following an encounter with a new organisation that hunts sexual predators online.
Police were called to the scene and the man was arrested | Photo via Western Hunters
The man is alleged to have arranged to meet who he believed was a 14-year-old girl, but was instead confronted by an member of the newly-formed south west England-based organisation Western Hunters.
A spokesperson for Western Hunters said: “At around 5.30pm yesterday, 20 June, one of our undercover journalists – often known to the public as paedophile hunters – met a 38-year-old man at the Costa Coffee store on Stall Street.
“He was there to meet one of our decoys, who was representing a 14-year-old girl, following a conversation on a meet up app earlier in the day.
“Subsequently, our undercover journalist detained the man (without any the use of physical force) for meeting a child following grooming under Section 15 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. Although he did not meet an actual child on this occasion, the offence still stands.
A number of police officers were sent to the incident | Photo via Western Hunters
“A short time later, Avon and Somerset Police arrived at the scene and our evidence was handed to the officers attending. The man was then arrested for the aforementioned offence and taken into police custody.”
Western Hunters, which was founded in June 2017, is dedicated to catching online sexual predators, with the aim to stop potential child sex offenders before they can act.
They have stated that they are a non-violent organisation and do not condone abusive behaviour towards suspects.
Wiltshire Police, who have been been transferred the incident from Avon and Somerset Police, told us: “A 38-year-old local man has been released under investigation while our enquiries continue.
“We are unable to comment further or give more detailed information on this case while a police investigation is ongoing.”
