tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849434918754557038.post783132681940772472..comments2023-09-01T08:03:17.519-04:00Comments on The Shiitake-Worthy Blog: Duane Pohlman of Cincinnati's Local 12's sweeps week fluff piece attacks registrant for daring to reform the lawsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2849434918754557038.post-69541468621670821562019-10-23T08:04:05.411-04:002019-10-23T08:04:05.411-04:00https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7596653/V...https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7596653/Vigilante-paedophile-hunters-overstepped-mark-attacked-verbally-abused-suspects.html<br /><br />A group of paedophile hunters 'overstepped the mark' when they falsely imprisoned and used violence against men they suspected of being child sex offenders, a court has heard.<br /><br />The group, called Predator Exposure, confronted two men on separate occasions after they had taken part in online chats with group members posing as teenagers.<br /><br />The members, who live-streamed the confrontations on social media, detained and verbally abused both men and used unnecessary violence against one, who was held in a headlock and physically dragged out of a shop against his will, Leeds Crown Court heard.<br /><br />The six defendants deny the offences and claim they were making lawful citizens' arrests.<br /><br />Tom Storey, prosecuting, told the court: 'The members of this group, and those working with them, overstepped the mark and went far beyond the bounds within which they should have operated.<br /><br />'In short, the prosecution say that the way in which they behaved on these two occasions involved the commission by them of the criminal offences of false imprisonment and assault.'<br /><br />The jury of seven men and five women heard that the first incident happened in August 2018, when four of the defendants went to the home, in the Normanton area of West Yorkshire, of a man who had taken part in online conversations with a Predator Exposure member posing as a 14-year-old.<br /><br />They took the man, who was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and is believed to be on the autistic spectrum, into the back garden of the house and prevented him from leaving, even when he asked to be allowed inside to fetch his medication, the court heard.<br /><br />One of the defendants, Phillip Hoban, 43, can be heard on footage taken by the group calling the man a 'filthy c***' and asking him if he would prefer to be called 'a nonce or a dirty bastard', the jury was told.<br /><br />Mr Storey said: 'It is clear from the footage that (the man) was extremely scared and upset by what was taking place and, at times, he clearly did not understand.'<br /><br />He added: 'At one point he began crying.'<br /><br />The second incident happened in January 2019 when five of the defendants went to the home of another man, in the Chapel Allerton area of Leeds.<br /><br />The court heard that they chased the man to a nearby shop and some tried to physically drag him outside.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com