Hull 'paedophile hunter' sting targets innocent couple
A couple have been falsely accused of trying to meet a child, during a sting that was filmed by so-called paedophile hunters and live-streamed to an audience of thousands on Facebook.
Jordan and Ben, from West Sussex, had been visiting Jordan's sister in Hull when they were confronted by a number of people outside her home. The pair received homophobic abuse, before police came to arrest them. Yorkshire Child Protectors has since apologised for what happened. Jordan and Ben, who did not want to give their surnames for fear of reprisals, said they set off for Hull on Monday. 'Cornered' Ben, 31, said: "When we parked up a car blocked us in and people got out. We thought we were being robbed. "They took us to the end of the road and cornered us so we couldn't escape and put the cameras in our faces." The police were called and Jordan and Ben were arrested and their phones were taken. It was during this time their innocence was proven, as the decoy was still receiving messages from the actual suspect. Ben said: "We were eventually released and they had put up a post to say they were sorry and got it wrong." He added: "We are fearful of our lives." Ben also said he and Jordan were looking to sue Yorkshire Child Protectors. The group's apology read: "We at YCP take responsibility for our part played in these innocent men being arrested but we won't be taking all the blame." The group, which said it was "heartbroken" for the two innocent men, explained that it had received false information from other vigilante organisations. YCP added that it was "truly sorry" and that the men would be receiving a personal message of apology. Humberside Police declined to comment on Monday's arrests but the force has previously warned against vigilante groups carrying out stings, saying they can create more problems than they solve. Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk.