Legal News

A man has been arrested in Manchester in connection with a vigilante attack on two men suspected of paedophile activities.

Sky News reports that the unnamed 25-year-old arrested by Greater Manchester Police comes from Wigan and is being held on suspicion of assault and blackmail.

It is reported the 25-year-old was part of a group who posed online as underage girls to attract and trap paedophiles.

Police in Greater Manchester say that two men suspected of being paedophiles by the group have also been arrested on suspicion of grooming and attempting to meet underage girls.

The two men had responded online to the group’s postings, but when they went to meet what they thought would be underage girls, they were attacked and assaulted.

It also alleged that at least one of the two men was subjected to blackmail threats.

The first incident occurred on 7 April when a 19-year-old man went to a church car park in Wigan under the impression he was meeting a 14-year-old girl. When he arrived, he was attacked by a group of men who filmed the incident.

After he escaped the group, he received messages on social media threatening that if he did not hand over money, the video footage of the attack would be uploaded to Facebook.

The second incident occurred on 18 April at the Market Place in Wigan, where shoppers witnessed a 25-year-old man being accused of arranging to meet a 14-year-old girl online. He was then headbutted and had two teeth knocked out while the group filmed the incident. The footage of the incident has already been uploaded to the Internet, say police.

A 25-year-old man from Skelmersdale has been charged with attempting to meet a girl under 16 after grooming. He will appear before magistrates in Wigan on Monday (27/04/15).

A 19-year-old man has been released on bail on suspicion of committing offences related to underage girls.

Detective Inspector Charlotte Cadden from Bolton division of Greater Manchester Police said:

“I want to make it clear that grooming and arranging to meet up with children you have met over the Internet is a criminal offence – and if you are caught doing this you will be arrested and prosecuted.

“It is unacceptable that this group are posing as underage girls and meeting up with men with the view to either blackmailing them or attacking them in the street,” she added.

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