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Thread: The Vigilante Justice Thread

  1. #526
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  2. #527
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    One of three people who took part in the vigilante killing of a convicted paedophile has been released from prison, but cannot return to the town where the crime happened.

    Aubrey Thomas Harrison​ was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 12 years, for the murder of Glen Stinson​ in Foxton in July 2007.

    Harrison, his uncle Bruce Raymond Tamatea​ and a woman with name suppression bashed Stinson to death.

    He was put in a car and driven to Foxton after he was found sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl at a party in Palmerston North.



    The move was only supposed to scare him, but he was beaten and choked, his body left outside a poultry farm.

    Stinson first sexually offended when he was 17 and committed various sexual crimes.

    He was in and out of jail throughout his life and only met his eldest son, also a sex offender, when they were in Manawatū Prison.



    Harrison became eligible for parole in 2019, but was declined an early release then as he needed to do more reintegration work.

    In a report released to Stuff on Monday, the Parole Board said Harrison’s conduct in prison was good.

    He had done rehabilitation programmes, lived in self-care units, worked outside the wire and taken part in the greyhound rehoming scheme.

    He had a full-time job waiting for him on release, the board said.

    Harrison did have multiple convictions, including for violence, drug offending and disobeying court orders, but the board decided he could be released, albeit with strict conditions.



    He must stay home between 10pm and 5am and will be electronically monitored.

    The monitoring would ensure he did not breach another condition – staying out of Foxton – and he was also banned from alcohol and non-prescribed drugs.

    He was banned from communicating with his fellow offenders and with any associate of Black Power.

    Tamatea has already been granted parole, while the woman was only sentenced to three years' jail for Stinson’s manslaughter.
    https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/crime...ed-from-foxton

  3. #528
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    https://www.blueprint.ng/benue-proph...nital-removal/

    Irate youth in Daudu, Guma local government area of Benue state have allegedly executed jungle justice on one Prophet Uhembe Jacob of Divine Shadow Church, who was allegedly responsible for missing genital organs in the area.


    The Police have arrested eight persons over his murder.

    The killing of the pastor was said to have sparked protest by his Church members who on Sunday, trooped out with his posters to demand justice.


    Pastor Uhembe was accused by members of the Daudu community of causing people’s genital organs to disappear and charging N12,000, from each victim of the alleged missing organ before curing them.


    It would be recalled that following the incident, youth in the area reportedly burnt down the church and other properties traced to the pastor. Governor Samuel Ortom also had Wednesday, following the incident went to the Daudu to calm the angry youth.
    But a few days after the governor’s visit, news spread that the pastor was killed.


    Blueprint learnt that the pastor was apprehended by the youth while trying to escape to a village in Nasarawa state and was later murdered and buried in a shallow grave.


    A local who pleaded anonymity said instead of running to the Daudu Divisional Police Office to seek protection decided to run away out of fear to Nasarawa.

    “Sadly, it was while he was running away in his car that the youth who apparently were on his trail, caught him and killed him in a village along Lafia road,” he added.


    When contacted, the Venue state Police command spokesperson, DSP Catherine Anene, confirmed the report and said the man was killed while attempting to run away in his car from Daudu.


    “Yes, the prophet was killed sometimes last week. He was to be picked up by the DPO in Daudu, but he rushed into his vehicle and ran away out of fear. He was later killed.”


    Asked if anyone had been arrested in connection with the murder of the prophet, the PPRO said the command had earlier arrested eight persons and that investigation was ongoing on the matter.

  4. #529
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    https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/ar...s-15449997.php

    ALTON — A sting operation by a “vigilante” group that confronts alleged sexual predators has led to a dispute with the Madison County Sheriff’s Department.

    The alleged incident took place Wednesday in the parking lot of a Walgreens on State Street in Alton, but both county and city law enforcement officials said they received either no or haphazard information prior to the actual incident, and have not been contacted since.

    The group, KTS Predator Hunters, is known for independent sting operations, and often confronts people they accuse of attempting to meet up with underage victims.

    Some law enforcement officials have been critical of the group in part because of the risk of violent confrontation, and also because of procedural issues.

    “We’re more than willing to work with these guys, they have yet to contact us,” Capt. Dave Vucich, chief of detectives for the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, said Friday. “But as a law enforcement officer I have to respect the Constitution. There is a due process.”

    The Sheriff’s Department made several postings in response to the incident on its Facebook page, but eventually took them down because of the confrontational nature of the group’s responses, according to Vucich.

    In addition, one of the group’s leaders, Kyle Swanson, who participates in most of the video confrontations, posted on the group’s public Facebook page that has said he plans to run as a write-in for Madison County Sheriff “just to show I’m not f..king around.”

    However, the office isn’t up again until 2022.

    Swanson could not be reached for comment.

    The actual incident occurred at about 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Walgreens on State Street in Alton.

    Police Chief Jason Simmons said Friday that someone had called them prior to the actual confrontation, but were not specific and Alton officers were at the Washington Avenue Walgreens.

    Vucich said one of the KTS group’s Facebook followers called a sheriff’s deputy they knew to tell them about the incident as it was occurring and the subject was leaving, but the deputy was not able to get to the location and referred them to the Alton Police Department.

    Both Vucich and Simmons said they have not been contacted by the group since then.

    Vucich said they take sexual abuse cases seriously, and have several officers dedicated to dealing with those issues. However, he said it has to be done correctly.

    “The problem is this, they notify us as this guy is walking away,” Vucich said. “All we ask is you get law enforcement involved in the onset, but they have yet to do that. Instead of prosecuting these guys, they’re more interested in publicly embarrassing them.”

    Simmons also said they have officers dedicated to dealing with those issues.

    “What my detectives want to do is have a sit down with the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office, the Sheriff’s Department and the KTS group, so they understand case law and understand how to properly do these types of operations,” Simmons said. “We’re open to partnerships, but they have to work with us.”
    https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article246480085.html

    A metro-east group that posts photos, videos and other information on social media to expose and shame suspected pedophiles is being sued for defamation by a Randolph County man.

    Adrian Collins filed a lawsuit in Randolph County Circuit Court last month against KTS Predator Hunters and its founder, Kyle Swanson, of Belleville.

    In his complaint, Collins maintains that Swanson posted a Facebook conversation between Collins and someone identified as “Jordan Lane” in June on the KTS Facebook page and falsely called it a “sex trafficking situation,” insinuated that Collins was “grooming” a 14-year-old girl and referred to Collins as “very creepy.”
    “Plaintiff did not inquire as to (Jordan Lane’s) age at the time of his conversation with her,” according to the complaint, which states that Collins has Asperger syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder.

    The complaint also states that Collins received threats online after KTS posted his conversation, lost his job as a security guard at Red Bud Regional Hospital and hasn’t been able to find other employment.
    The lawsuit asks for in excess of $50,000 for compensatory damages and in excess of $50,000 for punitive damages.

    “Defendants maliciously and intentionally caused the publication of the false statements to a Facebook page with thousands of followers for the purpose of harming the Plaintiff’s good reputation,” the complaint states.

    Collins is represented by Belleville attorney Megan Gilbreth, who filed the lawsuit on Sept. 4. Swanson later motioned for dismissal. An attorney wasn’t listed in his motion.

    “Plaintiff was well aware of the age of the decoy,” it stated.

    Randolph County Circuit Court Judge Richard Brown denied the motion to dismiss the lawsuit on Sept. 25. Swanson has 30 days from that date to answer the complaint.
    KTS announced the lawsuit Wednesday on the Facebook page of its non-profit organization, KTS: Stop Sexual Assault. The group is asking its more than 47,000 followers to donate money for legal fees.

    “Wondering why we haven’t been doing live meet ups lately?” the post asked, using the term “meet ups” to describe videotaped confrontations with suspected pedophiles that are sometimes streamed live on Facebook or YouTube.

    “We are currently in a head to head battle with a former person we exposed and going to court with them. They’re attempting to sue ourselves and our owner personally. Our lawyers fees have added up and we’re looking for help. The down payment alone is $7,500.

    “Please take a second share this. We can’t continue operations till this is over and may shut down KTS completely if we don’t raise enough money for an attorney.”

    Group leaders didn’t return a call seeking comment.
    Predator-hunting groups can be found all over the country. Some were inspired by “To Catch a Predator,” a reality TV series that was part of NBC’s “Dateline” from 2004 to 2007. Police were involved in most of its episodes.

    KTS members communicate with suspected pedophiles on the internet and sometimes lure the adult men to locations in Illinois and Missouri under the pretense that they are minor girls willing to meet and presumably have sex.

    Then KTS members show up at the locations, confront suspects, videotape confrontations and post videos on Facebook or YouTube. The idea is to shame and perhaps scare the adult men into stopping their activities, as KTS has no legal authority to arrest them.

    As of Thursday afternoon, nearly 150 followers had offered support on the KTS: Stop Sexual Assault Facebook page in response to news of the Randolph County lawsuit. Some suggested legal strategies or reported that they had donated money. Others called for protests at Swanson’s court appearances.

    “With the mission y’all have I would think you should be able to find an amazing lawyer pro bono because who doesn’t want these monsters called out?” one commenter wrote.
    KTS made headlines last month, when one of its sting-like operations involving a Missouri man took place in the parking lot of Webster Elementary School in Collinsville after school hours.

    Brad Skertich, superintendent of Collinsville Unit School District 10, sent an email to parents and guardians of students, assuring them that no actual children were involved.

    “This group had no involvement, agreement or communication with the school district or local law enforcement before, during or after this occurred,” he told the BND. “They were completely on their own.”

    In his letter, Skertich called the incident “alarming” and noted that the district had contacted Collinsville Police Department to help it determine how to move forward in light of the Missouri man’s actions and the KTS group’s decision to lure a “potentially dangerous adult” onto school property.

    Skertich also urged parental guidance.
    “The situation serves as a harsh reminder that we must regularly monitor our children’s internet and phone usage, discuss safe and unsafe practices, and have regular conversations about who they communicate with throughout the day,” he wrote.

    Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons has reportedly met with KTS members and asked them to start telling police about contacts with suspected pedophiles instead of taking matters into their own hands so proper investigations could lead to criminal charges.

    The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported in 2019 that a handful of men had been arrested after being confronted by KTS Predator Hunters or members of a St. Louis group called Truckers Against Predators, but most of those cases were dropped.

    “Some local law enforcement officials (said the groups) create volatile situations that should be left to trained professionals, and unleash a form of mob justice that’s hard to control,” the Post reported.




  5. #530
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    https://www.thetelegraph.com/news/ar...s-15449997.php

    ALTON ? A sting operation by a ?vigilante? group that confronts alleged sexual predators has led to a dispute with the Madison County Sheriff?s Department.

    The alleged incident took place Wednesday in the parking lot of a Walgreens on State Street in Alton, but both county and city law enforcement officials said they received either no or haphazard information prior to the actual incident, and have not been contacted since.

    The group, KTS Predator Hunters, is known for independent sting operations, and often confronts people they accuse of attempting to meet up with underage victims.

    Some law enforcement officials have been critical of the group in part because of the risk of violent confrontation, and also because of procedural issues.

    ?We?re more than willing to work with these guys, they have yet to contact us,? Capt. Dave Vucich, chief of detectives for the Madison County Sheriff?s Department, said Friday. ?But as a law enforcement officer I have to respect the Constitution. There is a due process.?

    The Sheriff?s Department made several postings in response to the incident on its Facebook page, but eventually took them down because of the confrontational nature of the group?s responses, according to Vucich.

    In addition, one of the group?s leaders, Kyle Swanson, who participates in most of the video confrontations, posted on the group?s public Facebook page that has said he plans to run as a write-in for Madison County Sheriff ?just to show I?m not f..king around.?

    However, the office isn?t up again until 2022.

    Swanson could not be reached for comment.

    The actual incident occurred at about 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Walgreens on State Street in Alton.

    Police Chief Jason Simmons said Friday that someone had called them prior to the actual confrontation, but were not specific and Alton officers were at the Washington Avenue Walgreens.

    Vucich said one of the KTS group?s Facebook followers called a sheriff?s deputy they knew to tell them about the incident as it was occurring and the subject was leaving, but the deputy was not able to get to the location and referred them to the Alton Police Department.

    Both Vucich and Simmons said they have not been contacted by the group since then.

    Vucich said they take sexual abuse cases seriously, and have several officers dedicated to dealing with those issues. However, he said it has to be done correctly.

    ?The problem is this, they notify us as this guy is walking away,? Vucich said. ?All we ask is you get law enforcement involved in the onset, but they have yet to do that. Instead of prosecuting these guys, they?re more interested in publicly embarrassing them.?

    Simmons also said they have officers dedicated to dealing with those issues.

    ?What my detectives want to do is have a sit down with the Madison County State?s Attorney?s Office, the Sheriff?s Department and the KTS group, so they understand case law and understand how to properly do these types of operations,? Simmons said. ?We?re open to partnerships, but they have to work with us.?
    https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article246480085.html

    A metro-east group that posts photos, videos and other information on social media to expose and shame suspected pedophiles is being sued for defamation by a Randolph County man.

    Adrian Collins filed a lawsuit in Randolph County Circuit Court last month against KTS Predator Hunters and its founder, Kyle Swanson, of Belleville.

    In his complaint, Collins maintains that Swanson posted a Facebook conversation between Collins and someone identified as ?Jordan Lane? in June on the KTS Facebook page and falsely called it a ?sex trafficking situation,? insinuated that Collins was ?grooming? a 14-year-old girl and referred to Collins as ?very creepy.?
    ?Plaintiff did not inquire as to (Jordan Lane?s) age at the time of his conversation with her,? according to the complaint, which states that Collins has Asperger syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder.

    The complaint also states that Collins received threats online after KTS posted his conversation, lost his job as a security guard at Red Bud Regional Hospital and hasn?t been able to find other employment.
    The lawsuit asks for in excess of $50,000 for compensatory damages and in excess of $50,000 for punitive damages.

    ?Defendants maliciously and intentionally caused the publication of the false statements to a Facebook page with thousands of followers for the purpose of harming the Plaintiff?s good reputation,? the complaint states.

    Collins is represented by Belleville attorney Megan Gilbreth, who filed the lawsuit on Sept. 4. Swanson later motioned for dismissal. An attorney wasn?t listed in his motion.

    ?Plaintiff was well aware of the age of the decoy,? it stated.

    Randolph County Circuit Court Judge Richard Brown denied the motion to dismiss the lawsuit on Sept. 25. Swanson has 30 days from that date to answer the complaint.
    KTS announced the lawsuit Wednesday on the Facebook page of its non-profit organization, KTS: Stop Sexual Assault. The group is asking its more than 47,000 followers to donate money for legal fees.

    ?Wondering why we haven?t been doing live meet ups lately?? the post asked, using the term ?meet ups? to describe videotaped confrontations with suspected pedophiles that are sometimes streamed live on Facebook or YouTube.

    ?We are currently in a head to head battle with a former person we exposed and going to court with them. They?re attempting to sue ourselves and our owner personally. Our lawyers fees have added up and we?re looking for help. The down payment alone is $7,500.

    ?Please take a second share this. We can?t continue operations till this is over and may shut down KTS completely if we don?t raise enough money for an attorney.?

    Group leaders didn?t return a call seeking comment.
    Predator-hunting groups can be found all over the country. Some were inspired by ?To Catch a Predator,? a reality TV series that was part of NBC?s ?Dateline? from 2004 to 2007. Police were involved in most of its episodes.

    KTS members communicate with suspected pedophiles on the internet and sometimes lure the adult men to locations in Illinois and Missouri under the pretense that they are minor girls willing to meet and presumably have sex.

    Then KTS members show up at the locations, confront suspects, videotape confrontations and post videos on Facebook or YouTube. The idea is to shame and perhaps scare the adult men into stopping their activities, as KTS has no legal authority to arrest them.

    As of Thursday afternoon, nearly 150 followers had offered support on the KTS: Stop Sexual Assault Facebook page in response to news of the Randolph County lawsuit. Some suggested legal strategies or reported that they had donated money. Others called for protests at Swanson?s court appearances.

    ?With the mission y?all have I would think you should be able to find an amazing lawyer pro bono because who doesn?t want these monsters called out?? one commenter wrote.
    KTS made headlines last month, when one of its sting-like operations involving a Missouri man took place in the parking lot of Webster Elementary School in Collinsville after school hours.

    Brad Skertich, superintendent of Collinsville Unit School District 10, sent an email to parents and guardians of students, assuring them that no actual children were involved.

    ?This group had no involvement, agreement or communication with the school district or local law enforcement before, during or after this occurred,? he told the BND. ?They were completely on their own.?

    In his letter, Skertich called the incident ?alarming? and noted that the district had contacted Collinsville Police Department to help it determine how to move forward in light of the Missouri man?s actions and the KTS group?s decision to lure a ?potentially dangerous adult? onto school property.

    Skertich also urged parental guidance.
    ?The situation serves as a harsh reminder that we must regularly monitor our children?s internet and phone usage, discuss safe and unsafe practices, and have regular conversations about who they communicate with throughout the day,? he wrote.

    Madison County State?s Attorney Tom Gibbons has reportedly met with KTS members and asked them to start telling police about contacts with suspected pedophiles instead of taking matters into their own hands so proper investigations could lead to criminal charges.

    The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported in 2019 that a handful of men had been arrested after being confronted by KTS Predator Hunters or members of a St. Louis group called Truckers Against Predators, but most of those cases were dropped.

    ?Some local law enforcement officials (said the groups) create volatile situations that should be left to trained professionals, and unleash a form of mob justice that?s hard to control,? the Post reported.




  6. #531
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    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/b...-culture-honor

    Even though this study originally used the Southeast USA as a sample it partially explains why some parts of the world support death penalty and vigilante justice.

    Southern states of the U.S. have higher violent crime rates than the rest of the country (1). Moreover, Southern men may be more willing to stand up for themselves using physical aggression - particularly if they have been insulted, or believe their homes are threatened. This phenomenon is referred to as a "culture of honor."

    Psychologists Richard Nisbett and Dov Cohen (1) proposed an intriguing explanation in terms of subsistence problems experienced by the original settlers (many from Ireland and Scotland): "We believe that the Southern culture of honor derives from the herding economy brought to the region by the earliest settlers and practiced by them for many decades thereafter." This theory was inspired by anthropological evidence that herders around the world are quite willing to put their lives on the line to protect their herds against wild animals and thieves.

    Lacking the protection of a well-established central government 18th-Century Southern settlers were vulnerable to livestock thefts and had to be prepared to protect their property using violence if necessary, according to Nisbett and others. Hence the tendency to cultivate a reputation for manly toughness that served to discourage rustlers. But why would these notions apply today when there is much stronger rule of law, no cattle raiding, and a highly urbanized population?

    Nisbett and colleagues collected a variety of evidence that appeared to back up their theory that the type of agriculture practiced, specifically herding as opposed to farming, promoted a culture of honor leading to violent crime (1).

    The problem is that when some of their key evidence was carefully re-evaluated, a very different conclusion was reached (2). Rebecca Chu and others investigated the white non-Hispanic male homicide rates in rural counties in the South as a function of the type of agriculture practiced. They evaluated the prediction that homicide rates would be higher in counties that were arid and hilly and thus more suitable for herding than farming (and therefore conducive to a culture of honor). They concluded:
    "Although we analyze similar data and address the same conceptual issues, we find no support for the Nisbett-Reaves hypothesis. Overall, white male homicides in rural counties in the South do not vary as predicted by Nisbett's theory. Moreover, for some estimates of white male homicide rates, when county homicides are adjusted for differences in white poverty, the patterns are directly opposite to the Nisbett-Reaves predictions" (2, p. 972).

    The very different conclusions of the two teams of researchers boil down to a mundane statistical technicality about how to deal with the very small number of homicides in some rural counties but the reanalysis is clearly correct.

    The tragedy of science, according to Aldous Huxley is when a beautiful theory gets killed off by an ugly fact. Fans of the herding culture of honor theory have either ignored the contradictory evidence or pointed to evidence that Southern whites still have higher violent crime rates than northern whites - even if they move north (3). Oddly, this violent streak skips women and urban residents (4).

    So where does that leave us? First, the herding explanation for violent tendencies of Southern white men was clearly falsified in relation to homicides. Second, the higher levels of homicide by whites in rural counties of the South can be fully explained in terms of poverty.

    Many social scientists believe that Southerners favor violence in matters of honor but the evidence is patchy. Some of the key psychological evidence was obtained for Southern students attending the University of Michigan, a very atypical group. Politically, people in the South tend to reject gun control, favor capital punishment, corporal punishment and the building of a strong national defense. I suspect that these attitudes are connected to childhood experiences, poverty, and religiosity, rather than a distant herding ancestry among rowdy Gaels.

  7. #532
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    http://psychology.iresearchnet.com/s...ture-of-honor/

    A culture of honor is a culture in which a person (usually a man) feels obliged to protect his or her reputation by answering insults, affronts, and threats, oftentimes through the use of violence. Cultures of honor have been independently invented many times across the world. Three well-known examples of cultures of honor include cultures of honor in parts of the Middle East, the southern United States, and inner-city neighborhoods (of the United States and elsewhere) that are controlled by gangs.

    Cultures of honor can vary in many ways. Some stress female chastity to an extreme degree, whereas others do not. Some have strong norms for hospitality and politeness toward strangers, whereas others actively encourage aggression against outsiders. What all cultures of honor share, however, is the central importance placed on insult and threat and the necessity of responding to them with violence or the threat of violence.

    Insults and threats take on great meaning in cultures of hCulture of Honoronor, because of the environments in which cultures of honor develop. Such cultures develop in lawless environments where there is no central authority (such as the state) that can offer effective protection to its citizens. In such a situation, a person has to let it be known that he will protect himself, his family, and his property. Insults and affronts are important because they act as probes, establishing who can do what to whom. A person who responds with violence over “small” matters (e.g., an insult or an argument over a small amount of money) can effectively establish himself as one who is not to be messed with on larger matters. Thus, an effective response to an insult can deter future attacks, when the stakes may be much higher.

    Many violent incidents in cultures of honor center on what might be considered a trivial incident to outsiders. Such matters are not trivial to the people in the argument, however, because people are defending (or establishing) their reputations. What is really at stake is something of far greater importance

    In cultures of honor, reputation is highly tied up with masculinity. A telling anecdote from Hodding Carter’s book Southern Legacy (1950) concerned a 1930s Louisiana court case, in which Carter served as a juror. The facts of the matter were clear. The defendant lived near a gas station and had been pestered for some time by workers there. One day, the man had had enough and opened fire on the workers, killing one person and wounding two others. As Carter tells it, the case seemed open and shut, and so Carter began discussions in the jury room by offering up the obvious (to him) verdict of guilty. The other 11 jurors had very different ideas about the obvious verdict, however, and they strongly and unanimously favored acquittal. Fellow jurors explained to Carter that the man couldn’t be guilty—what kind of man wouldn’t have shot the others? An elder juror later told Carter that a man can’t be jailed for standing up for his rights. In cultures of honor everywhere, traditional masculinity is a virtue that has to be defended.

    Various ethnographies have described cultures of honor in great detail. Sociologist Elijah Anderson, for example, has written about the culture of honor in inner cities of the United States. Anthropologists Julian Pitt-Rivers and J. G. Peristiany have written about honor in the Mediterranean region, and an important collection of papers can be found in Peristiany’s 1966 book Honour and Shame: The Values of Mediterranean Society. Notably, the book includes chapters by Pitt-Rivers, Peristiany, and Pierre Bourdeau, who has written about honor and the importance of female chastity among the Kabyle of Algeria. As in many Mediterranean cultures, the sanctity of the family name among the Kabyle depends a great deal on the purity of its women and how well the men guard and protect it. In such cultures, females who disgrace the family may be killed by their male relatives in an attempt to cleanse the family name.

    Within experimental social psychology, Richard Nisbett and Dov Cohen’s 1996 book Culture of Honor lays out the case that there is a culture of honor among Whites in the contemporary South of the United States. Among other evidence, they show that the homicide rate is higher among Whites in the U.S. South, but only for killings that involve quarrels, lovers’ triangles, and other arguments (i.e., those killings where honor is most likely to be at stake). They also show in opinion surveys that White southerners are more likely to endorse violence than are northerners when the violence is used in response to insult or in response to some threat to home, family, or property.

    In laboratory studies, they showed that southern U.S. college students were more likely than northern college students to respond in an aggressive manner when they were insulted. The insult involved an experimental confederate who bumped into the experimental participant as he was walking down the hallway and then called the participant an expletive. Southern students were more than twice as likely as northern students to become visibly angry at the insult (85% vs. 35%). They were more cognitively primed for aggression, completing scenarios with more violent endings. And they showed surges in their levels of testosterone (a hormone associated with aggression, competition, and dominance) and cortisol (a hormone associated with stress and arousal) after the bump. Additionally, southerners also became more aggressive as they subsequently walked down the hallway and encountered another experimental confederate (who was 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 250 pounds).

    Finally, the researchers also showed that the laws and social policies of the South were more lenient toward violence than those of the North. This is important, because social policies may be one way the culture of honor is carried forward, even after the originating conditions (the lawless environment of the frontier South) have largely disappeared.

  8. #533
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    https://citizen.co.za/news/south-afr...es-in-limpopo/

    The people involved in the killing were still unknown and there had been no arrests.
    A 30-year-old man has been killed in an alleged vigilante attack in Limpopo.

    The murder took place in Muraleni village, outside Makhado, when residents allegedly “went on the rampage” on Friday, said police spokesperson Colonel Moatshe Ngoepe.

    “[They] attacked and killed a 30-year-old man they suspected of being involved in criminal activities in and around the area,” he said.

    The police were notified that a severely injured person was lying on the side of road. Officers responded and found the man, identified as Jerry Shumba Manyere, dead at the scene.

    Manyere was suspected of breaking into houses in the area, said Ngoepe.

    The people involved in the killing were still unknown and there had been no arrests, he added.

    Anyone with information that can lead to the arrest of these suspects, should contact Lieutenant Colonel Maphefo Machaba on 082 451 7163, or Captain Sheila Buys on 082 565 84 32, or the Crime Stop number 08600 10111.
    Roundup


    http://www.laht.com/article.asp?Cate...icleId=2423383

    GUADALAJARA, Mexico – Six suspected robbers were left with mutilated hands and one person has died in attacks by the self-proclaimed vigilante “Grupo de Elite antirratas,” or Anti-criminal Elite Group, in Tlaquepaque municipality of the western Mexican state of Jalisco, municipal police reported.

    According to the ongoing investigation under Tlaquepaque Police Commander Eduardo Palacios, the victims may have been kidnapped before their mutilation.

    One of the victims was found dead next to a sign with a handwritten message that read, “This is what happens to thieves” as a warning for burglars, car and motorcycles thieves, as well as those who attack pedestrians.

    The other six victims, including one woman, were found with their hands cut off up to their wrists, presumably with machetes.

    In addition to the amputation wounds, which were covered with plastic, various parts of the victims’ bodies were painted with the word “Rat.”

    Palacios said that none of the wounded gave more information since they “were in shock” after what had happened.

    The assailants left the hands cut off from the seven people in two plastic bags left next to them.

    The injured were taken to different hospitals in the metropolitan city of Guadalajara, the capital of Jalisco.
    https://allafrica.com/stories/202010160114.html

    Vigilante members in Kurfi Local Government Area of Katsina on Tuesday killed 11 Fulani youths after accusing them of banditry terrorising their areas.

    The incident happened at Wurma community after the herdsmen were handpicked in the community's market square and killed by vigilante members amidst hundreds of people.

    Residents said the deceased were patronising the local market. The killing has resulted in panic among residents, over the fear of reprisal attacks.

    The vigilante members accused the victims as being responsible for terrorising Kurfi, Batsari Local Government Areas facing repeated attacks, resulting to raping, maiming and looting of valuables, a source said asking not to name for security reasons.



    The victims were taken to Dutsin Karare where they were killed after brief detention at the vigilante's custody in Kurfi local council area, the source added.

    Residents say they fear reprisal attacks because the victims could be innocent and wrongly accused by the vigilante members. This is because the hardened criminals hardly patronize local markets because they are jittery of arrest, the source said.

    Also, he added that many other residents believed that such people have to be killed as long as they are herdsmen. If they are not criminals, they are harbouring their criminal brothers coming from neighbouring Zamfara State.

    The police spokesperson for Katsina State, Gambo Isah, confirmed the incident to journalists. He said the command condemned the extrajudicial killing, describing the action of the volunteers as gruesome and unacceptable.

    He said security personnel have launched a manhunt for the vigilante members responsible for the killings.

    The police said: "We met the 11 corpses of the slaughtered victims and we are suspecting vigilante members for the murder and that their action contravened the constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is unconstitutional for anybody to take (the) law into his hand.

    "We are working hard to arrest those who carried out the act to face the wrath of the law. No sane society will condone this kind of act and that was why the Katsina State Government banned the activities of Yan-Sakai in the state," the police said.

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    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-...n-car/12885546

    North Queensland police have condemned "vigilante behaviour" after charging a "reckless" Townsville man who allegedly chased three teenagers in a stolen car until it crashed.

    Key points:
    Police say the man was "actively" looking for stolen cars
    He allegedly chased the teens who then crashed a car into a power pole
    Four Townsville teenagers were killed in June when a stolen car crashed
    Police said the 48-year-old man spotted the trio driving in the Townsville suburb of Gulliver on Saturday night and then chased the vehicle at high speed down the wrong side of the road.

    The stolen car lost control and crashed into a power pole in the neighbouring suburb of Currajong.

    Police alleged the man mounted the kerb to corner the teenagers and chased them in his car when they fled through a nearby property.

    He was arrested a short time later and charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle, possession of a weapon and driving an unregistered vehicle.

    Police set up cordons, called in the dog squad and discovered a 13-year-old Cairns boy hiding under a house.

    The teenager was charged with unlawful use of a motor vehicle, trespass and possession of dangerous drugs.

    'Grabbed his arm'
    Currajong resident Matt James said he found the teenager hiding behind a fridge under his house.

    "I could see his toes sticking out from underneath the little gap underneath our wall," Mr James said.

    "He looked straight at me and went up to run so I just sort of grabbed his arm and called for the police to come in and get him.

    "He asked me to let him go but I told him there was no chance that was happening."

    Acting District Superintendent Sean Dugger said the pursuit could have easily ended in tragedy.

    "Leave the policing to the police," he said.

    "People will actually argue on the pretext that it's in the community's safety, when these types of actions actually cause more danger to the community."


    Four teenagers were killed when this car hit a traffic light in Townsville in June
    Police have alleged both cars were driving well above the 60 kilometres per hour speed limit.

    Superintendent Dugger said it was only by the "grace of God and good luck" that no-one was seriously injured in the incident.

    Four teenagers were killed in June when a stolen car crashed into a Townsville traffic light pole.

    "It doesn't take a great deal of imagination that we could be investigating coronial matters today," Superintendent Dugger said.

    Mr James said he often heard cars speeding past his house, but had never witnessed an incident like this.

    "Chasing kids in a car like that is just going to lead to either the kids killing themselves or someone else because they can't control these cars," he said.

    A senior policeman standing at the entrance to Townsville police station
    Acting District Superintendent Sean Dugger said police believe the man was looking for stolen cars.(ABC News: Sofie Wainwright)
    'Vigilante behaviour'
    Superintendent Dugger said officers also uncovered a tyre iron in the man's car which police would allege had been intended for use against car thieves.

    "This person, it will be alleged, was in the area and basically was actively looking for stolen vehicles," he said.

    "We do understand the frustration of some members of the community with these sort of offences occurring within the Townsville district, but all I can say is police continually and successfully target these offenders.

    "That does not excuse the 48-year-old man's actions or any type of this sort of vigilante behaviour.

    "We won't be tolerating criminal activity by any person, [even if] their intentions are, in their mind, honourable."

    The man has been bailed to appear in the Townsville Magistrates Court on December 2.

    Police are still searching for the two other teenagers involved in the crash.

  10. #535
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    https://www.americamagazine.org/poli...ilante-justice

    The video emerged in early August, another in a series of cell phone captures of similar encounters that have appeared on social media in Mexico this year. A handful of passengers in a “combi,” a small public transportation vehicle common in Mexico City, are startled as two men rush into the microbus ordering them to hand over their possessions.

    But this time, the robbers do not make a clean escape. One of them loses his balance as he tries to exit the combi. He is pulled back into the vehicle and a savage beating begins.

    “Now you know what we feel!” one of the passengers screams, as he punches and kicks the robber. The retribution continues for five minutes before passengers finally throw him out of the bus, stripping him of his clothes for good measure.

    “See friends, look! There is the rat. They got him,” says the driver of a vehicle behind the combi who captured the outcome on his cell phone as the robber lies on the street, naked and barely able to move.
    The video soon went viral on Mexican social media where it was applauded as poetic justice and transformed into social media memes. News anchors either shrugged at or endorsed the vigilantism themselves. “One of the robbers couldn’t get off the bus, and his victims took advantage to teach him a lesson,” a journalist at Televisa Puebla, a local affiliate of the national broadcaster Televisa, said.

    It was hardly the first time that such citizen-administered street justice was so celebrated on social and traditional media. In a country where both organized and petty crime has exploded to unprecedented levels, vigilante justice has become increasingly common; citizens who gun down assailants during robbery attempts often make headlines as heroes. Mexican media describe those who defend themselves using deadly force as “justicieros,” or “bringers of justice.”

    Such incidents increasingly suggest a state that has lost control over crime, creating among its citizens the belief that the only possible justice is vigilante justice. “Mexico doesn’t have a plan to combat insecurity,” said Alejandro Hope, one of the country’s foremost security experts, in an interview with Milenio Televisi?n on May 12.

    “I think what the video showed us is the worrying development that violence, crime and impunity have now become an accepted part of Mexican society,” Guus Zwitser, a public policy scholar at the Center for Economic Investigation and Teaching, a public university in Mexico City, told America. “Crime has become so common in Mexico, that citizens see violence as the only answer. These robbers would have otherwise vanished and would not have been caught.”

    Mexico is going through one of the most violent periods in its recent history. The government projected that more than 40,000 people will be murdered by the end of 2020—the highest number of homicides since the National Institute for Statistics and Geography first began publishing those numbers in 1990.

    The deadliest violence in years past has been linked directly to turf wars among organized crime groups. Civilians were often caught in the middle, falling victim to extortion rackets, forced disappearances and massacres. More than 90 percent of violent crimes in Mexico goes unpunished, as Mexico’s justice system is unwilling or unable to prosecute them. Now, tracking organized crime and the erosion of Mexico’s justice apparatus, petty crime is also on the rise, particularly in large urban areas like Mexico City.

    The capital has become dominated by gangs like La Uni?n de Tepito, according to H?ctor de Maule?n, an investigative reporter. Operating out of a working-class neighborhood in the center of the city, its members dedicate themselves to drug trafficking and extortion. The capital’s peripheries are overrun with street crime, especially on public transportation. Hundreds of thousands of low-income inhabitants of the capital’s sprawling working class neighborhoods depend on microbuses and combis for daily transportation, where they make easy targets for petty criminals.

    According to the federal government, robberies on public transportation in Estado de M?xico, the state that hugs Mexico City like a horseshoe, have doubled between May and June this year. After months of stay-at-home orders in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, when “people started returning to the streets, so did the criminals,” Mr. de Maule?n wrote in El Universal on Sept. 3.

    The government of President Andr?s Manuel L?pez Obrador does not appear to have an adequate response to either the rise in violence related to organized crime or the spike in street crime. Its most important public security policy so far has been the creation of the National Guard, a paramilitary police force meant to relieve the armed forces of its role in combating drug trafficking organizations. Critics believe the new National Guard will not have the capacity to address citizens’ everyday safety concerns.

    “The government’s policies on security, specifically the creation and deployment of the National Guard, are mostly focused on high impact organized crime, but not on what we call ‘micro crime,’ such as robberies,” explained Jorge Atilano, S.J., who leads Jesuits for Peace, a human rights group in Mexico City. “The National Guard doesn’t really have the tools to combat that, as it’s mainly focused on organized crime.”
    The Mexican government continues to invest far too little in its judicial infrastructure to make a dent in any kind of crime. “Mexico only spends about 1.7 to 1.8 percent of its budget on security; well below the 3 percent [peer state] average,” Francisco Rivas of the human rights group Citizens’ National Observatory, told America last year. “We would have to spend 4 or 5 percent to really deal with the crime problem,” he said. “Even with the National Guard, we’re not spending enough.”

    To make matters worse, vigilante justice may provoke an even more violent response from criminals themselves.

    On Aug. 31, just weeks after the beating of the alleged robber went viral, another video surfaced of two men ambushing passengers in another combi in Mexico City. Without hesitation, one of the robbers shot a young man in the stomach, telling horrified passengers that “this way you know this is real.”

    “I think criminals carrying a gun in Mexico will be tempted to use it,” Mr. Zwitser said, noting their chances of being caught remain “minimal.”

    “If criminals are aware that citizens may use more violence against them, then so will they.”

    “The media play an important role here,” Father Atilano said. “They are looking for scandal; they will spread these videos of violent acts against criminals, which in turn will perpetuate the cycle of violence. The result is more anger, more desperation.”

    And yet, he argues, the Mexican government could look to citizens to find a solution to the explosion in petty crime.

    He cites communities where locals participate directly in combating crime as a possible way out. Such experiments have taken place in several Mexican states, especially in rural areas with large indigenous populations, such as Michoac?n and Guerrero. Father Atilano specifically praised experiments in the towns of Cher?n and Tancitaro, in Michoac?n.

    In Cher?n, locals abolished the political party system and established self-rule, creating a citizen police force in the process to combat illegal logging. In Tanc?taro, local avocado growers suffering extortion by organized crime groups created a police force composed of community members. Both cases achieved a significant drop in crime by taking a significant community stake in law enforcement in cooperation with state and municipal police forces.

    “It’s key to look at the communities and see what their security needs are,” Father Atilano said. “Right now, police anywhere in the country are barely equipped to deal with crime.

    “If they were to work together with communities, integrate them in police work and address the issue more strategically, crime could be fought with greater success.”

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    https://www.looptt.com/content/polic...ilante-justice

    Police are warning citizens against vigilantism after a 35-year-old man remains warded in a critical condition at the Port of Spain General Hospital this morning.

    On Monday morning, residents of a Carenage community took justice into their own hands after a man allegedly sexually assaulted a young child in their area.

    The man was beaten, stripped nude, and tied to a pole – all before the police could arrive.

    When officers of the Western Division did respond, the injured man was beaten so severely that he required immediate medical treatment.

    And while doctors have told investigators that the suspect is expected to recover, up to 8am today, he was still warded in a critical condition.

    As a result, police are warning citizens that vigilantism is not something which will be tolerated by the police, noting that if the suspect dies, the investigation will have to become one of a homicide, and those very same persons who took justice in their own hands would become the subjects of another inquiry.

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    https://www.latimes.com/world-nation...st-south-korea

    SEOUL — He was ready, he told his viewers, showing off the wares he’d amassed for the big day: a large bag of flour, a carton of eggs and a motorcycle helmet.
    Song Dae-ik, a 27-year-old YouTuber known for gaming videos and silly antics, had pledged to beat up notorious child rapist Cho Doo-soon the day Cho was released from prison after serving a 12-year sentence. Song counted down the days, drove four hours to scope out the prison where Cho was being held and began his stakeout at midnight the day of the man’s release.

    So did dozens of other YouTubers from across South Korea, all promising vigilante justice.

    Now, at least four of them face criminal charges for obstruction of justice, destruction of property and battery after Cho’s release last week devolved into a melee of attention-seeking YouTubers mobbing the car carrying Cho, jostling for better camera angles and trying to one-up each other for more sensational footage.

    “They’re after the clicks — this is amusing to them,” said Kim Se-gon, chief of detectives at the Ansan Danwon Police Department, which investigated Cho’s brutal 2008 rape of an 8-year-old girl in a church bathroom.
    Kim, who was part of the police presence in Ansan when Cho was escorted home Saturday, estimated that more than 100 YouTubers had descended on the scene. They shouted insults, clashed with officers and tried to slip into the building where Cho was slated to live with his wife. One YouTuber, a mixed martial arts fighter once known as the Iron Gentleman, kicked in the side of the government vehicle carrying Cho. Another leapt atop the car and repeatedly stomped his foot, denting the roof.

    Yet another ordered Chinese food to be delivered to Cho’s apartment and, when it couldn’t get through, livestreamed himself eating it. A fellow YouTuber who took offense at the move sought him out and sucker-punched him — on camera, of course.

    The bedlam added a bitter postscript to a shocking crime that sparked nationwide outrage because of the victim’s age, the severity of her injuries and what many felt was the lenience of Cho’s sentence. Cho kidnapped the girl on her way to school and beat and choked her unconscious before raping her, causing severe internal injuries.

    The chaos surrounding Cho’s release also highlighted the skyrocketing popularity of YouTube in South Korea — now the country’s most-used app — and the dubious lengths to which many users have gone to attract viewers. Vigilantism, here and elsewhere, is a growing trend on social media platforms, with child predators a frequent target. “To Catch a Predator"-type stings attempting to nab alleged pedophiles have gone viral on YouTube and TikTok, encouraging copycats.

    “They were competing among themselves,” Kim said of the YouTubers who converged on the scene of Cho’s release.

    Prosecutors had sought a life term for Cho, but the court sentenced him to 12 years, deeming his alcohol use a mitigating circumstance. Cho, who had a long rap sheet that included attempted rape, claimed he had no memory of the incident because he was too drunk.

    As his release date approached, various YouTubers began talking about Cho on their videos or live broadcasts, saying they were going to seek justice. Subscribers egged them on.
    Myung Hyun-man, the mixed martial arts fighter who once pledged to kick Cho in the genitals, said Cho’s case got his blood boiling because he himself had a young daughter. His YouTube channel, with 137,000 subscribers, features videos of him chasing after a drunk driver and confronting a used car salesman allegedly trying to con customers, among other stunts.

    “I’d been thinking about it for a year,” he said in a brief phone interview before he was charged for his actions. “I felt the urge to inflict violence when he got out. ... My anger would ebb, then flare up again.”

    Myung went to the scene of Cho’s release about 10 p.m. the night before Cho was due out. A cameraman filmed him looking for Cho among throngs of police, onlookers and other YouTubers for hours; the video was streamed live on YouTube. At one point, Myung broke into a run and kicked the side of the government vehicle carrying Cho, then was wrestled to the ground by officers.

    The video racked up more than a million views. By Friday, after he was officially charged for causing property damage, it had been taken down. Myung instead posted a video apologizing for his “rash” actions.

    Kim, of the police department, said he sympathized with the public outrage over Cho and his crime but said it was apparent that the YouTubers were seeking attention and profit, not justice.

    “It was obvious what they were after,” he said. “It was over the top.”

  13. #538
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    https://www.mysuncoast.com/2020/12/3...gs-off-street/

    SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - A man has been arrested in connection with a home invasion and robbery that happened Wednesday night in Sarasota.

    Mark Kramer was taken into custody and charged with Home Invasion Robbery with a Firearm. The incident occurred Wednesday night at a home on Bahia Vista and Coleman Avenue. A neighbor called authorities saying that a man all in black holding another at gunpoint in a garage. The neighbor contacted police, who arrived on scene.

    When authorities arrived they noticed a gray vehicle speeding away with no lights on and initiated a traffic stop. Officers found Kramer and immediately notice an AR-15 as well as a stolen Samsung phone that was playing an episode of the show ‘Criminal Minds.’ The phone turned out to belong to someone in the home who had been watching the show at the time of the robbery.

    Kramer told the authorities that he believed the people in the home were selling narcotics and he was trying to keep drugs off the street. A woman in the home said that Kramer burst in and was making threats against the people in the home before he ran off with the phone.

    Kramer is being held in the Sarasota County Jail.

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    https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article247672255.html

    A Randolph County judge has denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed in September by a Red Bud man who claims that a “predator-hunting” group and its leader wrongly defamed him on Facebook by accusing him of “grooming” a 14-year-old girl for sex.

    Ben Grohmann, attorney for plaintiff Adrian Collins, had filed a motion for voluntary dismissal on Dec. 3, but that motion was withdrawn at a hearing Thursday before Associate Judge Gene Gross.

    The defendant, Kyle Swanson, founder of a Belleville-based organization called KTS Predator Hunters, also had filed a motion for dismissal with prejudice on Monday, representing himself. The judge denied that motion on Thursday after hearing arguments.

    Swanson couldn’t be reached for comment. His organization had declared victory on its public Facebook page, KTS: Stop Sexual Assault, on Sunday after Grohmann filed the motion for voluntary dismissal.

    “KTS Predator Hunters are free to continue doing the Lord’s work,” Jacksonville attorney Tyson Manker stated in a letter posted by KTS, identifying himself as “pro bono counsel” for Swanson.

    Collins couldn’t be reached for comment on Thursday.

    Red Bud resident Cathy Kovar, Collins’ grandmother who hired Grohmann to represent him, continues to maintain that her grandson is innocent. She said on Monday that he hasn’t been charged with a crime or investigated by police.

    “Nothing was proved by KTS,” she said. “Adrian is not on any kind of pedophile list. Also, (Collins and his family members) are all being harassed by KTS followers and Kyle himself. ... There have been threats of bodily harm.”

    KTS is a non-profit organization with more than 49,000 followers on Facebook. Leaders post photos, videos and other information to expose and shame suspected pedophiles. Members sometimes pose as underage girls online and lure men to various locations, presumably to have sex, and then videotape the confrontations.

    Leaders say their undercover operations have led to arrests, but they’ve also been criticized by law enforcement for vigilantism that could interfere with prosecutions

    Collins’ complaint maintains that Swanson posted a Facebook conversation between him and a decoy identified as “Jordan Lane” on the KTS Facebook page in June, falsely called it a “sex trafficking situation,” insinuated that Collins was “grooming” a 14-year-old girl and referred to him as “very creepy.”

    “Plaintiff did not inquire as to (Lane’s) age at the time of his conversation with her,” according to the complaint.

    The complaint states that Collins has Asperger syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder. According to the Autism Society, Asperger’s may be characterized by “awkward” social behavior, difficulty understanding social rules and lack of empathy.

    The complaint maintains that Collins received threats after KTS posted the conversation and lost his job as a security guard at Red Bud Regional Hospital. On Monday, his grandmother said he struggled to find employment, eventually was hired at McDonald’s and quit after less than a month due to harassment by KTS followers.

    The lawsuit is seeking in excess of $50,000 for compensatory damages and in excess of $50,000 for punitive damages.
    “Defendants maliciously and intentionally caused the publication of the false statements to a Facebook page with thousands of followers for the purpose of harming the Plaintiff’s good reputation,” the complaint states.

    Swanson listed a Belleville address on Sept. 18, when he filed his first motion for dismissal with prejudice, stating that, “Plaintiff was well aware of the age of the decoy.” Randolph County Judge Richard Brown denied that motion.

    Swanson later asked for a substitute judge due to Brown’s friendship with Collins’ father, resulting in Gross taking over the case.

    Swanson filed his second motion for dismissal with prejudice on Monday, stating that the request was “due to constant ongoing harassment by Plaintiff and/or Agents.” That was the motion denied Thursday by Judge Gross.

    In his letter on Facebook, Manker referred to Collins’ lawsuit as “frivolous and baseless.”


    “(It was) meant to silence Mr. Swanson and, ultimately, to enable child exploitation in Illinois,” Manker stated, describing the plaintiff as a “suspected John who found himself ensnared in a KTS child sex-sting operation.”

    Manker stated that KTS would continue to work with law enforcement to make sure perpetrators who attempt to harm youths are brought to justice.

    Predator-hunting groups can be found all over the country. Some were inspired by “To Catch a Predator,” a reality TV series that was part of NBC’s “Dateline” from 2004 to 2007. Police were involved in most of its episodes.



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    https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news...-prank-4877180

    A Hull woman hacked into her ex-boyfriend's Facebook account, arranged to meet a 14-year-old for sex and then alerted a paedophile vigilante group in a bizarre revenge plot.

    Amy Gray, 37, of Great Thornton Street, said she was angry that her ex had left her for another woman and in November 2018 decided to teach him a lesson.

    Gray - who had helped the man set up a Facebook profile - used his passwords to log on and message a 14-year-old girl that was later revealed to be a decoy set up by a paedophile vigilante group.

    Hull Crown Court heard on Monday that Gray - pretending to be her ex-boyfriend - arranged to meet the underage girl on Newland Avenue for sex.

    Ben Thomas, prosecuting, told the court she had also used her ex-partner's new girlfriend's name, claiming they wanted the girl to take part in a "threesome."

    In an interview with police, Gray told officers it would be a "bonus" for her love rival to get into trouble too.

    "Predator's Exposed," the group behind the decoy, then made their way to Newland Avenue expecting to catch Gray's ex-partner, who is in fact already on the Sex Offender's Register.

    Mr Thomas told the court: "Of course no one turned up to meet them so they went to his house as his address had been given in some of the messages."

    The man answered the door to see six members of the group who had travelled to confront him.
    They were filming the video and posting it live onto Facebook.

    During the interception the man was called a "dirty, vile piece of s***", a "jelly bellied b******" and even Fred West.

    His new partner was also apprehended by the group and told she could not answer her mobile phone. The woman's concerned mother had found out through her niece that her daughter was being live streamed on Predator's Exposed's Facebook page and was trying to get hold of her.

    Humberside Police were called and the couple were taken into custody, detained for 12 hours and interviewed.

    Mr Thomas told the court that their house was searched and their phones were analysed.

    However, Gray was eventually caught out when officers realised the IP address of where the messages were sent from was her address.

    Her ex-partner was the subject of a tag which also showed he had not been to her house when the messages were sent, proving it was Gray behind the messages.

    Mr Thomas said: "In an interview she said she wanted revenge. She knew how much the video would be shared and she wanted him in prison so he and his new partner couldn't be together."

    In a victim personal statement the man told how he and his partner had been forced to move away from Hull, have been shouted at in the street and even had their home doused in graffiti.

    The woman said she did not leave her home on her own for nine months.

    The court heard how Gray has a previous conviction for three offences of sexual assault, for which she was convicted in 2005.

    However, her barrister, Amber Hobson, told the court these took place when Gray was living as a man. She transitioned into a woman a year later.

    Ms Hobson said: "She struggled with her identity most of her life and lived her life in the shadows. Perhaps that has taken a toll on her and affected her mental health. She has one previous conviction from a very different time in her life when she was living as a man. She worked with the probation service and found it very helpful.

    "She says that offending was born out of confusion with her identity and not an attraction to children or women."

    Ms Hobson appealed to Judge David Tremberg, telling her Gray would struggle in prison as a transgender woman.
    She added that Gray is remorseful and that the author of a pre-sentence report had come to the conclusion that Gray is at low-risk of reoffending.

    "She didn't foresee the level of scrutiny they would be subjected to," Ms Hobson added.

    As he jailed Gray for five years for perverting the course of justice, Judge Tremberg told her: "You wanted to make him suffer and cause maximum harm and degradation to his emotional wellbeing, status and reputation. If that caused harm and distress to his girlfriend that was a bonus for you.

    "You exposed them to an ordeal of public humiliation."

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    Um, I wouldn't say any of that is 'vigilante justice'.

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    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    Um, I wouldn't say any of that is 'vigilante justice'.
    True it's harassment all hiding as vigilante justice.

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    https://newsday.co.tt/2020/09/20/cap...-sex-predator/

    . On Thursday night, a group of Charlieville residents captured an alleged sex predator who attempted to rape a resident of the area.

    The incident probably helped to save the victim, though she had taken the initiative to escape, and screaming to draw attention to her plight.

    The woman was discovered running naked in the road and a search was mounted by more than 30 villagers to find her attacker.

    The man, once cornered, raised a gun to defend himself. The villagers subdued and beat the man. It turned out the gun was a toy.

    But, what if it were not?

    In the heat of anger, someone might have been hurt or killed, and the beating the captured man received might have turned out to be fatal.

    Regional authorities and police officers were quick to laud the action of the villagers, but talk of honours might be premature.

    Their actions were humane, but risky.

    Vigilante justice is driven by passion and often undertaken by amateurs at policing, a situation that's as likely to go terribly wrong as this one appears to have gone well.

    India is wrestling with the challenges of vigilante justice running wild, as women, communities and even police officers engage in extra-judicial killings in response to horrific incidents of rape and assault of women.

    At least three murders have been attributed to the Hercules killer who left suspected rapists dead with a note hung around their necks explaining their crime.

    The best answer is always going to be better, more effective policing and more attention to the vulnerabilities of communities by the local government authorities responsible for their maintenance.

    Chaguanas mayor Faaiq Mohammed said that the borough is trying to get more lights in the area, "because walking alone at night can be very dangerous."

    Local government officials must be aware of the weaknesses in their areas and need to work harder to improve infrastructure while encouraging police officers patrol more diligently in areas known to be at risk.

    The police cannot be everywhere, and officers should embrace opportunities to coach active and interested residents on how to collaborate on community observation and policing initiatives that operate within the realm of law and assist officers in the delivery of justice.

    A woman was saved from a horrible fate on Thursday night by the actions of concerned villagers who made her business their business.

    That is commendable.

    But summary justice, delivered in anger, is never a substitute for the rule of law and the importance of due process.

    Citizens who see the legal system working with dispatch and efficiency might be better motivated to stay their kicks and punches to let a functional judicial process take appropriate action on captured suspects.

    https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion...rcules-1701610

    . Recently, the bodies of three "rapists" have been found shot to death with culpatory notes hanging around their necks. On January 17, the first body was found by the police in Savar, whereby Ripon, who was the key suspect in a gang rape and murder case of a female garment worker, was found dead with a note that read “I am the prime accused in a rape case.” On January 24, the second body was recovered by the police in Jhalakathi, with a note that read “I am Sajal. I am a rapist and this is my fate.” On February 1, the third body was found, also in Jhalakathi, but this time the note read “I am Rakib, I am the rapist of a madrasa girl of Bhandharia and this is my fate. Beware rapists – Hercules”. Sajal and Rakib were the two accused in a gang rape case of a madrasa student that took place on January 14. These killings are being attributed to "Hercules" since the note on the last body was signed by this pseudonym. This spate of killings has been overwhelmingly well received by the public, with people extending their deepest "respect", "salute", "love" and admiration to Hercules on social media.

    It is deeply alarming to see the blind hero-fication of this Hercules by many otherwise educated individuals as some sort of feminist crusader against social injustice. Undoubtedly, any conscientious citizen ought to be frustrated with the state of justice in our country, whereby rapists enjoy virtual impunity for their gross crimes. For instance, a 2013 UN multi-country study on male violence (which surveyed perpetrators of rape) found that in Bangladesh 95 percent of urban respondents and 88 percent of rural respondents reported facing no legal consequences for raping a woman or girl. Furthermore, a recent study by Prothom Alo found that out of the 5,000 rape cases lodged in Nari-O-Shishu Nirjatan Daman Tribunals in Dhaka district between 2002 and 2016, punishment was given in only three percent of the disposed cases. Thus it is perfectly understandable why many citizens may have lost hope in the law enforcement and judiciary as upholders of justice. However, is cheer-leading an onslaught of extrajudicial killings by an unidentified vigilante (however noble their intention maybe) the path to a safer country? It is important to note that while all three men were accused of rape, a formal investigation followed by trial was still pending. Thus, on what ground are we allowing someone the licence to kill at will and a free pass to breach the very foundation of our criminal justice system: innocent until proven guilty? Are we as a society then saying anyone and everyone has the permission to shoot on sight whoever they deem to be a criminal?

    As soon as we let individual members of society decide what does and does not constitute a "crime" and allow them to execute punishments for it, rather than a properly appointed judge, we go down a very slippery slope. We move towards a reality where each of us lives at the mercy of someone else's (subjective) sense of public morality. This would be particularly problematic for women since in a deeply misogynistic country such as ours, women are especially susceptible to moral policing by society. For instance, certain members of society think it is a "crime" for women to even step out of the house to work and defy other forms of androcentric cultural norms. What kind of power would this new system of "justice" be giving to them?

    In fact just a few years ago, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (Blast), Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) and numerous rights activists fought long and hard to have the High Court declare all forms of extrajudicial punishment to be unconstitutional after incidents of women and girls across the country being caned, lashed or otherwise publicly degraded by community elders for "offending public morality" came to light (63 DLR 1). One such incident was in 2010 whereby a woman in Cumilla was subjected to 39 lashes after a shalish took place on the disputed paternity of her child born out of wedlock. It is therefore deeply ironic that so many of us today are celebrating the extrajudicial punishment in the form of Hercules killings as a victory for women's safety. Even if the three men who were killed were actually rapists, who is to say that tomorrow someone will not kill their opponent (political or otherwise) and hang a note describing them as a rapist? That is the main trouble with allowing any random citizen to execute punishments without any formal investigation process: someone need not actually have committed the crime, but merely accused of doing so by someone else.

    Undoubtedly, the legal system is flawed and the Hercules killings should most certainly invoke deeper introspection on part of the law enforcement agencies as to why so many citizens would rather entrust a vigilante than a police officer or a judge. However, the inefficiency of the justice system should only ever be used to help contextualise the vigilantism but never to support or justify its existence. Those who really want to make the country a safer place for women must take the more strenuous route to lobby for and implement law and policy reforms from the very grassroots level instead of giving in to our baser instincts and letting our country succumb to disorder and mayhem. We should, therefore, be careful to not let our thirst for speedy punishment obliterate the very bedrock of our justice system and create a state of lawlessness, the ultimate victims of which will almost certainly be the very women we set out to "protect".

  19. #544
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    An angry mob has lynched and killed a suspected thief for stealing from a girl and raping her on Christmas Day in Calabar, Cross River State.

    The incident, witnesses said happened on Ekong Etta Street by Okoro Agbor Street around 2 am on Christmas Day.



    An eyewitness said the suspected thief was chased by the mob who later beat him to death and dumped his corpse in a waste bin close to an Apostolic Church where the incident happened.

    “It was three of them that committed the act, the other two ran away,” a witness who pleaded anonymity said.

    “He (the victim) couldn’t run fast, so some people caught up with him, beat him and dumped him in the dustbin close to Apostolic Church.”



    https://m.guardian.ng/news/nigeria/n...ungle-justice/

  20. #545
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    Quote Originally Posted by raisedbywolves View Post
    Um, I wouldn't say any of that is 'vigilante justice'.
    Also how paranoid are these harassers willing to be in the long term it's not just the targets that's going to get the long term damage it's the harassers who play "wannabe police" that will have to face creating paranoia on themselves in the name of attention and glory by making some of these rape and Sexual harassment allegations by declaring so and so a pedo and misogynist in the name of being "The next Chris Hansen" or the next conspiracy theorist.

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    https://www.wdrb.com/news/police-dis...e132c96e9.html

    . SEYMOUR, Ind. (WDRB) -- Vigilantes hoping to exact justice on child predators have launched sting operations on at least two occasions recently. The sting operations in the Seymour area are then posted on social media, where public shaming of the target begins.

    However, prosecutors and police are sending a public message that this actually hinders efforts to put sex predators in jail.

    "How do we know the target was the one making those posts online, and it wasn't someone else?" Jackson County Prosecutor Jeff Chalfant said. "I live in a world not where I think someone did it. I live in a world where I have to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt."

    In a letter posted publicly, Chalfant, the police chiefs of Seymour and Brownstown as well as the Jackson County sheriff all ask that the public stop trying to take matters into their own hands.



    Vigilantism is extremely dangerous, and we strongly discourage these sting operations," the letter states. "Sooner or later, a sting operation will result in violence, injury, and death."

    The operations to publicly shame suspected pedophiles have gained steam in recent years and are becoming more prevalent. The operations in Seymour mirror those seen recently near and north of Indianapolis.

    "The last thing we need is someone doing their own sting operations, and it becoming a thing to do," Chalfant said. "If you have someone who you believe is committing a crime like this, just call the police. The police will follow up on it. I want to prosecute child molesters, but I just don't want the public to do these investigations."

    Prosecutors said these types of operations may lead to public shaming but rarely lead to any consequences beyond that. Because the operations are conducted outside of police scrutiny, evidence building to actually bring a criminal case against a suspect is almost non-existent.

    In fact, some experts said amateur operations can often lead to would-be predators not falling for actual police sting operations.

  22. #547
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    https://punchng.com/horrific-practic...rime-suspects/

    . NIGERIA is light years away from being governed by the rule of law, evinced by the fresh cases of mob killings. Over the past few months, the act of setting crime suspects ablaze, euphemistically called “jungle justice,” has seized the landscape. Gruesomely, many persons accused of crime have been lynched in gory ways in Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Lagos, Delta, Kwara, Benue, Imo and Cross River states. Execution-style jungle justice clearly poses a threat to the rule of law and due process.

    Modern society is distinguished by the rule of law, but this seems to have totally broken down in Nigeria. Instead, the current situation mimics Thomas Hobbes’ state of nature, as the mobs exploit any opportunity to burn people alive. A few days ago, a mob descended on suspected thieves in Mowe, Ogun State. Without trial, they beat three of the five suspects to death before setting them on fire. The state police command accused commercial motorcycle riders of perpetrating the arson, alleging that they (the riders) commit such brazen brutalities at the slightest sign of offence. Under the law, even a suspect caught red-handed is deemed innocent until tried and convicted by a court of law.

    Yet, this trend replicates itself around the country. In Osun State, five accused persons were given this bestial treatment by mobs in Ile-Ife and Iwo this December. Two persons accused of snatching a motorcycle, were given the chase from one point to another in Ile-Ife, and burnt alive. A few days on, a mob burnt another person for allegedly trying to snatch a motorcycle in the Ilode area of the city. In Iwo, a mob burnt two women alive on suspicion of kidnapping. In nearby Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, a rabble inflicted a maximum sentence of burning without trial on a robber, who reportedly shot dead a commercial motorcycle operator in an attempt to snatch his bike.

    Moreover, a violent crowd razed the police division in Igboukwu, Aguata LGA of Anambra State. Their anger was inflamed when the police, who were enforcing the 9pm curfew on commercial motorcyclists, shot an operator dead at a checkpoint. In Edunabon, Osun State, irate youths burnt down the palace of the traditional ruler, both in the past week. This is sinister, and mobs have carried out these callous killings in Makurdi, Benue State, and Ughelli in Delta State and Calabar in Cross River State.

    Terrifyingly, the police take the back seat when the perpetrators go on the rampage. Noticeably, the police might have adopted a detached attitude as officers too suffered from the mobs during the #EndSARS violence in October. Apart from burning down 205 police stations, the hoodlums who hijacked the peaceful rallies against police brutalities murdered at least 22 officers, the Inspector-General of Police, Muhammed Adamu, said. The deadly gangs stormed different prisons, releasing about 2,000 inmates.

    Mob action has a long history in Nigeria. Between March and April 2001, irate crowds lynched 12 persons in Osogbo, Ilesa and Ile-Ife, all in Osun State on the accusations of “missing” private organs. In Oyo State, mobs also lynched six others on the same allegation. The truth is that some of these victims might have been innocent because mobs often act based on mass hysteria with no substantial evidence to prove their suspicions.

    One shocking case was the lynching of four undergraduates of the University of Port Harcourt, Choba in 2012. Known as the Aluu Four – the four friends only went to collect a debt, but the alleged debtor raised the alarm, accusing them of stealing mobile phones and laptops after which they were lynched. For a measure of true justice, four of the 12 arrested for the acts of murder were sentenced to death by a Rivers court in 2017. Another horrific case happened in Lagos in 2015. A child said to be as young as seven was neck-laced for attempting to steal garri (cassava flour) from a trader.

    Foreigners say jungle justice confirms the worst prejudices they have about life in Nigeria. Yet, mob justice is not unique to Nigeria and it would be unfair to characterise it as such. Lynching is common in many contemporary societies, particularly in countries with high crime rates such as Brazil, Guatemala and South Africa. According to the CNN, one infamous lynching in particular shocked the world and helped to spark the civil rights movement in the United States. In August 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was beaten, his eyes gouged and shot in the head. His body was then thrown in the Tallahatchie River with a 70-pound cotton gin tied around his neck with barbed wire. His crime? He allegedly whistled at a white woman. A shameful part of the US past, the Senate acknowledged its failure to enact legislation that might have put a stop to the extrajudicial killings of African-Americans at the hands of racist lynch mobs during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

    Regrettably, Nigeria’s security agencies set the stage for extrajudicial killings. Amnesty International says in a report that the Nigeria Police Force is responsible for hundreds of extrajudicial executions, other unlawful killings and enforced disappearances every year. “The majority of cases go un-investigated and unpunished. The families of the victims usually have no recourse to justice or redress. Many do not even get to find out what exactly happened to their loved ones.” This captures how cheap human life is in Nigeria.

    To curb this nuisance, the police should see mob action as a serious crime. As far back as the 17th century, witch-hunting had been eradicated in Europe. That is progress. In India’s case, where superstition is still strong, the police move against lynch mobs swiftly. For this, police arrested eight people after four elderly people were lynched by a mob in Jharkhand after being accused of practising witchcraft in July 2019. The police should be complemented by the judiciary, as the Aluu Four case showed, by imposing a maximum penalty on offenders.

    Lynching is a perverse effort at crime prevention. The judicial system, from policing to the Supreme Court, is brutally corrupt, attending only to those with the resources to pay for service or the right connections at the right places.. As it is in most societies where non-racial lynching is notorious, crime rates are surging in Nigeria as the economy spirals downward, making the poor vulnerable to criminal predation. To tame the scourge, the media and civil society organisations should campaign against it while the justice system, especially the police, is purged and sanitised.

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    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...et-attack.html

    . This is the shocking moment a gang of vigilantes batter a suspected flasher in a brutal baseball bat street attack that leaves him a bloodied mess on the floor.

    The group can be seen punching, kicking and stamping on the man after he was accused of exposing himself to a girl at a shop in Small Heath, Birmingham.

    Disturbing footage shows the victim being dragged to the kerb before he is beaten and repeatedly pounded with a baseball bat.

    He is later seen lying sprawled out in the gutter with blood pouring from his head while one female resident runs up to him and calls him 'a dirty b*****d.'



    One of the group says to him 'come on get up', before the man is kicked in the head again while he moans in pain and pleads: 'Behave, I didn't do nothing bro'.

    West Midlands Police confirmed the man was taken to hospital following the attack on Wednesday, which occurred a day after the incident in a shop.

    A 41-year-old man has since been arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure and robbery.

    The force's spokesperson said: 'We were made aware of a theft and indecent exposure in a shop on Heybarnes Road in Birmingham at 4pm on December 15.

    'Following social media users sharing details of this incident online, a man was attacked by three men on Wednesday December 16, who vigilante members of the community suspect is the offender.



    'The man has been taken to hospital where he remains after being attacked on Heather Road just after 11.30am.

    'We are urging members of the public to not take the law into their own hands and to let officers conduct their enquiries.'

    Speaking yesterday, the spokesperson added: 'A 41-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of indecent exposure and robbery and remains in police custody today.

    'Investigations into both incidents continue and anyone with information is asked to contact us via live chat at west-midlands.police.uk between 8am and midnight, or call 101 anytime.



    Crimestoppers can be called anonymously on 0800 555 111. Please quote log 3330 of 15 December of 1701 of 16 December.'



    The force would not confirm if the man who was hospitalised is the same man who has since been arrested.

    The footage, obtained by Birmz Is Grime, drew a mixed response from social media users after it was uploaded to social media.

    One person wrote: 'Nothing wrong with a bit of old fashioned street justice. If the accusations are true, he deserves everything he got.'

    Another commented: 'Might make him think twice in the future.'

    But a third posted: 'Should let the police do their jobs. It could easily have been the wrong guy and this footage makes me cringe.'

  24. #549
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    https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-52736656

    . Vigilantes ?will take matters into their own hands? if trust in the criminal justice system crashes after the coronavirus pandemic, lawyers have warned.

    With the backlog of court cases nearing 570,000 in England and Wales, some trials are not being scheduled until 2022 and victims face a wait of several years between reporting a crime and seeing a result.

    A small number of trials have restarted but court capacity has been dramatically reduced by social distancing requirements, as crime rises with the easing of restrictions.

    While crown courts are gradually reopening, there were fresh safety concerns after Manchester Crown Court was forced to close by an outbreak of coronavirus among staff last week.

    Prosecutions have fallen to a record low of 7 per cent of all recorded crimes and the time taken for many types of police investigations, including into sexual offences, is rising.

    Richard Atkinson, co-chair of the Law Society?s criminal law committee, said he was concerned that a growing number of people ?will decide the delays are unacceptable and take matters into their own hands?.

    He told The Independent: ?There is a real risk that if the justice system will be so severely undermined, people may start to decide there is no point reporting matters and they should deal with them in another way themselves. When that sort of thing happens, innocent people get hurt.?

    Mr Atkinson acknowledged that the warning may sound ?alarmist? but pointed to mob violence against alleged paedophiles in the 2000s and the more recent rise of ?neighbourhood patrols? sparked by police cuts in towns including Hartlepool.

    He called the potential impact of delays caused by the court backlog ?really serious?, reiterating: ?If the public cannot get justice in what they perceived to be a reasonable period of time, there is a risk that they will not deal with matters through the rule of law.?

    The most recent official statistics show that as of 26 July, there were 525,000 outstanding magistrates? court cases and almost 43,700 in crown courts across England and Wales.

    In April, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) issued new guidance saying the circumstances must be considered when deciding whether charges are ?in the public interest?.
    Prosecutors may discontinue proceedings, accept guilty pleas to some charges ? or less serious ones ? to avoid trial or use ?community resolutions? instead.

    The CPS said the change would not affect ?most? serious or violent types of crime, but has not yet released figures showing the impact of the guidance.

    Dame Vera Baird, the Victims? Commissioner for England and Wales, said she was receiving reports of victims ?losing patience? with prosecutions because of mounting delays and considering dropping out.

    Read more
    ?Some have been given no trial date at all,? she added. ?If you?ve got trauma or you?re worried about giving evidence, it?s a long time to have it hanging over you.?

    There is particular concern about victims dropping out of sensitive sex offence and domestic abuse cases.

    Only 1.5 per cent of almost 55,300 rapes recorded by police in 2019 saw a suspect charged, and the most common outcome (41 per cent of offences) was listed as ?victim does not support action?.

    David Lammy, the shadow justice secretary, said rape and domestic abuse victims were being ?denied justice?.

    ?In some cases delays will result in suspects being released, evidence being lost, or information forgotten,? he told The Independent.

    ?If the government wants to avoid catastrophe in our criminal justice system it must act now.?

    Mr Lammy called for the government to open more ?Nightingale courts? in alternative premises to enable social distancing, calling progress ?agonisingly slow?.

    He added: ?As the backlog of criminal cases becomes ever bigger, the Ministry of Justice seems utterly unable to cope with the scale of the problem.?

    Legal associations blame the government for allowing a large backlog to build before coronavirus by cutting the number of days on which courts can sit.

    There were 37,434 outstanding crown court cases by March, prompting accusations that the current crisis was ?avoidable?.

    Mr Atkinson said barristers and solicitors? firms were ?going bust? because they have not been earning enough money from the small number of cases proceeding during the pandemic.

    ?Once lawyers leave, they will be gone but the backlog will need dealing with at some point,? he added.

    ?If the taps are turned on there won?t be the experienced practitioners to clear it.?

    The chair of the Bar Council, which represents barristers, said the impact of the backlog would be ?far-reaching and devastating? for victims, defendants and the public.

    Amanda Pinto QC said members had been given trial dates for March 2022 and raised concern about the accuracy of witnesses who will have to give evidence years after alleged offences.



    It erodes confidence in the system and is more likely to lead to wrong results,? she added.

    The Lord Chief Justice floated the prospect of speeding up the justice system by removing the right to jury trial for some types of cases or reducing the number of jurors earlier this year.

    The proposals, which would require changes to the law, have not yet been brought forward by the government and Ms Pinto said ministers would have to use ?the whole court estate? and make remote hearings more efficient before resorting to such radical measures.

    A government spokesperson said: ?We have worked throughout the pandemic to deliver justice, with nearly 80 per cent of crown courts now hearing jury trials.

    ?We are keeping the justice system moving with expanded use of remote hearings, hiring more than 4,000 additional police officers, and investing ?85m in the CCPS to deal with caseloads.

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    Question Vigilante Group that Removed Kids from ?Sexually Abusive Parents? to Stand Trial

    https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5b3...to-stand-trial

    . A group of people accused of helping mothers abduct their own children from allegedly abusive fathers has been committed to stand trial in Australia.

    Seven people connected to the alleged child-stealing syndicate have been charged in relation to a string of parental child abductions?including the case of one woman who kidnapped her twin daughters from the Queensland city of Townsville in 2014, and another who kidnapped her grandson from the same city in 2018. In the latter case, the group hid the boy across state lines in New South Wales.



    Concerned mothers approached the syndicate because they feared their children were being sexually abused by their custodial fathers, according to investigators, and the syndicate in turn organised for those children to be taken, in breach of Family Court orders.



    Of those people linked to the abduction ring, two are men and five are women. Among them: general practitioner Dr William Pridgeon, 67, who was arrested in 2018 and extradited to Queensland from NSW after being accused of financing the network.

    Prosecutors have described Dr Pridgeon and his co-accused, 65-year-old Patrick O'Dea, as the "central persons involved" in the syndicate, and further alleged that the men set up social media accounts to portray some of the fathers as child abusers.

    But Dr Pridgeon, the founder of the Australian Anti-Paedophile Party, has insisted that he and his collaborators were trying to rescue children from sexually abusive homes.

    "We believed these children and we protected them," he told a group of supporters and reporters outside a court in 2019?accusing police of deliberately ignoring evidence of child sex abuse that his group had collected. "They [the police] say that abuse did not occur. It's absurd. This is a very dark moment in the history of the Australian Federal Police."



    Shortly after his arrest, he also told reporters that he was looking forward to the "truth of this matter coming out".

    "Crimes have been covered up by many people who shouldn't have. I'm looking forward to exposing that and I intend to."



    Around the same time, the Australian Federal Police's (AFP) Assistant Commissioner Debbie Platz argued that the intention of the "well-resourced" and "organised" group was "not to protect" children.

    "Not agreeing to a [family] court decision is not an excuse for engaging in this vigilante behaviour," Assistant Commissioner Platz said. "The continual movement of children, the change in their identity, the change in their location, the change in their appearances, the isolation for lengthy periods of time, has been shown to cause impacts that are long lasting for children.?



    During a two-year investigation, the AFP returned 10 abducted children to their custodial parents?five of them allegedly linked to the group run by Dr Pridgeon. A prosecutor claimed that the group used encrypted communication, and suggested that the operation?s ?level of sophistication? was ?quite high.?

    Dr Pridgeon and O?Dea are accused of several offences each, including child stealing and conspiring to defeat justice. One woman faces one count of child stealing and two counts of conspiracy to defeat justice, while the other four are charged with conspiring to defeat justice.

    All seven will stand trial at a date yet to be set.

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