A pedophile hunter who exposed more than 1,000 predators on social media has revealed how he carries out his stings.
The unnamed man appeared in Channel 4’s documentary series Ask The Mask, in an episode titled Pedophile Hunter.
In the episode, which aired last year but recently resurfaced on social media, the man kept his face hidden by a pig mask as he revealed how his ‘team’ seduced child predators with photos of real children donated by online supporters.
The Ask The Mask panel questioned the pedophile hunter, whose voice was distorted to protect his identity, and challenged him on his ethics of live streaming a sting before someone has been proven guilty.
The man, dubbed ‘Pig’, revealed how he and his team are rooting out predators who want to sexually abuse children by acting as ‘decoys’.
“In the beginning, it’s the decoy who talks to the predator for up to 16 hours a day, possibly on social media every day, and does all the hard work,” he said.
A pedophile hunter who captured more than 1,000 predators before exposing them on social media reveals how he carries out his stings
He admitted that his team sometimes uses photos of real children, “donated” to them by followers of their own children, as bait.
But other times, decoys can use AI to transform themselves into children online.
Speaking about how he feels when speaking to pedophiles online, he said: ‘You have to switch off, you have to be as professional as possible, we have to be very calm and polite.
‘The more agitated you become with the predator, the angrier he becomes. You need to ask certain leading questions.
‘There was an occasion where I went to meet a predator very early in the morning, arrived at the location and apprehended him. We were discussing why we were there and then this predator came out and said he was raping his daughter, and that sent us all into meltdown.”
He revealed that he could talk to a predator for a long time as the decoys try to collect as much evidence as possible to pass on to the police in hopes of getting the predator locked up.
Speaking of the dangers of the job, he said, “We face There were constant fights, we were attacked with knives, hammers, crossbows, screwdrivers and furniture. There have been people who have had their fingers bitten off.’
The episode saw the Ask The Mask panel Chrissie, Holly and Kayden question the pedophile hunter and challenge him on his ethics of live streaming a sting before anyone has been proven guilty.
‘Pig’ said his team has a good relationship with 90 percent of the police forces they deal with, but some treat them as if they were criminals.
He said, ’90 percent give us good feedback, they thank us for what we do.
“Some people call us vigilantes, which I can understand, but we are far from vigilantes. We do everything by the book, are one hundred percent honest in everything and the police are very happy with our work.’
‘Pig’ revealed that while his team has never stabbed the wrong person, it has happened to other teams.
He explained: ‘Obviously we have to follow the rules, so we can’t just do what we think we have to do. But there are groups that make their own rules.’
Despite some bait groups occasionally apprehending the wrong person, the stings are streamed live on social media.
He added: “If you live stream a video, everyone knows he’s a predator that people need to be aware of.
“You may live next to a predator or your friend may be a predator, everyone should know.
“But we can’t afford to stand in line obvious to seek out the wrong person For that reason we would not take any one percent risk on our team.’
However, the panel challenged the pedophile hunter on the ethics of publicly outing the alleged predators.
The panel asked: ‘If there is a margin of error, why would you choose to stream live on a social media platform instead of just recording?’
The ‘pig’ said: ‘We don’t live stream every case we do, but the cases we do are to raise awareness, to expose that particular person.’
The panel responded, “Don’t you think it would be better to pre-record it, just in case something goes wrong, and then it can be released afterwards.”
What the ‘pig’ agreed to was something his team could look into, but they would take it on a case by case basis.
The panel reiterated their point, saying that by using livestreaming to expose the alleged predators, the hunters are almost creating a “public stoning” scenario, which could potentially influence others to also take the law into their own hands.
Elsewhere, ‘pig’ said he wished there was ‘help’ for pedophiles, saying the whole system is a ‘mess’.
He added: “They need help, there are no two ways about it, but the sentences they are getting are not a deterrent, for example two to five years is normal for a sentence, there should be a limit, you get five years straight away.
‘Four times you get 10 years, five times you get 15-20 years or whatever. That will make them think a little more.’
The panel revealed that in another episode they spoke to a virtuous pedophile, someone who acknowledges that he is sexually attracted to children but wants to live a normal productive life without abusing children.
One panelist said: ‘I felt really sorry for him, the problem is that it is something spontaneous, the attraction itself is involuntary, something that is involuntary is not a choice.
“I find it difficult because I don’t think they should be around children, but on the other hand, this is probably something that’s in your brain.”
‘Pig’ admitted that he saw the episode and also felt a bit sorry for the man, but he believes that Virtuous Pedophile will ultimately act on their desires.