 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement .(January 2024) |
| Formation | 2014 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Dawson Raymond |
| Location |
|
Official language | English |
The og | Dawson Raymond |
| Website | Official website |
Creep Catchers is a network of Canadian vigilante groups founded by Canadian felon Dawson Raymond and Ryan Laforge. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Dawson Raymond said he felt inspired to do the same in his city of Calgary, Alberta, naming his group "Creep Catchers." [5] [6] Raymond founded the group after being released from jail for a break-and-enter conviction. [1]
An investigation by W5 reported that Creep Catchers have accused people of sexual crimes even when chatlog evidence showed no sexual content. The same organization stated that some members of Creep Catchers had criminal convictions, and one served time in federal prison. [1] In 2016, a mentally ill woman who was herself a victim of child sexual abuse died by suicide after Creep Catchers accused her of child sex crimes. [7] [4]
Jonathan Woodward of CTV's W5 documented an investigation into Creep Catchers around the country, featuring Justin Payne, Creep Catchers founder Dawson Raymond, Ryan LaForge of Surrey Creep Catchers and Karl Young (aka Carl Murphy) of the Red Deer Creep Catchers. The documentary focused on the unseen side of Creep Catcher members and operations, including the criminal pasts of some members and questioning the possible financial gains of the various "chapters". The documentary also featured an interview with Edmonton Police Service ICE Detective Dave Dubnick, who tells the story of how a Creep Catchers group in Lloydminster, Alberta, interfered with an ongoing investigation of a child predator, leading to the man escaping surveillance and, months later, being arrested in Manitoba for molesting a toddler and a baby. [8]
In June 2016, two Penticton Creep Catchers, Mitch Shelswell and Tyler Fritsen, confronted a man who apparently intended to meet a 14-year-old girl. Shelswell told CTV News they had no plans to stop: "As long as we follow the rules given to us by Creep Catchers originally, we're doing everything legally." [9]
On August 15, 2016, Surrey Creep Catchers confronted a Coast Mountain Bus Company employee with evidence that he tried to meet a 14-year-old boy at the Central City Shopping Centre. The man drove off, first striking a parked truck and almost hitting Ryan LaForge, who filmed the encounter. The Surrey RCMP closed its case without charges, and the man's employer began an internal investigation. [10]
In August 2016, a University of British Columbia Student Housing and Hospitality employee, whom court records suggest was charged with four counts of luring a child under 14 in 2008, apologized profusely and tearfully when confronted by Surrey Creep Catchers about trying to meet a 15-year-old girl and sending her (actually LaForge) pictures of his penis. [11]
On September 7, 2016, Surrey Creep Catchers caught an off-duty Surrey RCMP officer who allegedly tried to meet a 14-year-old girl at the Central City Shopping Centre. On September 16, the RCMP announced Constable Dario Devic was charged with communicating with a person under the age of 16 for the purposes of sexual interference or sexual touching, and breach of trust. He was released on bail with orders to avoid children or places children gather. [12]
On October 21, 2016, Fraser Valley Creep Catchers released a video allegedly showing Windebank Elementary School Principal Jason Obert at a mall believing he would meet up with a 14-year-old girl for sex. [13] [14]
On April 3, 2017, Surrey Creep Catchers confronted a Langley official named Bob Andrews, trying to meet with a 13-year-old girl for sex. [15]
Some commentators, like John Gormley of Saskatoon's The StarPhoenix , opined that Creep Catchers, while meaning well, create danger for themselves and their suspects, jeopardize official investigations and undermine the rule of law. Other newspapers, like The Now , claim their chapters have public support and encourage police to work with them for their ability to weed out suspects. [16]
In 2016, a social media commentator, Sean Smith, criticized the Creep Catchers movement. He was then called a pedophile by Ryan Laforge, of the Creep Catchers of Surrey, British Columbia. In March, 2017, Smith sued Laforge for defamation. [17] It represented the second such lawsuit against Laforge. [18]
Jason Proctor of CBC News reports that this trend of online pedophile hunters though not new, has been encouraged through success early on, and discouraged by "A chorus of police chiefs", citing an article by Chad Pawson of the CBC. [19] [20]
Jon Woodward of CTV's W5 documented his investigation of Creep Catchers, across Canada, looking into the unseen side of the organization. The 3-part episode aired February 18, 2017 and featured Justin Payne, Creep Catchers founder Dawson Raymond, Surrey Creep Catchers President Ryan LaForge and Red Deer Creep Catchers President Karl Young (aka Carl Murphy). The episode explored the criminal records of some Creep Catchers members, looked at the possible unreported revenue generation and interviewed an Edmonton Police Service member of the Integrated Child Exploitation ICE team, regarding the Lloydminster chapters' interference with one of their investigations. [21]
Perverted Justice Foundation, Inc., more commonly known as Perverted-Justice, was an American organization based in California and Oregon which investigated, identified, and publicized the conduct of adults who have used chat rooms and other social media in order to solicit online sexual conversations and in-person meetings with minors. Their website serves as an archive of collected data on these investigations, which they make available in order to assist law enforcement and the public in understanding the behavior and child grooming techniques of online hebephiles.
Sexual grooming is the action or behavior used to establish an emotional connection with a minor under the age of consent, and sometimes the child's family, to lower the child's inhibitions with the objective of sexual abuse. It can occur in various settings, including online, in person, and through other means of communication. Children who are groomed may experience mental health issues, including "anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and suicidal thoughts."
Anti-pedophile activism encompasses social actions against pedophiles. It also includes acts of anti-pedophile citizen vigilantism conducted by vigilante groups, some of which have operated alongside government agencies in countries such as the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
John David Roy Atchison was an American assistant U.S. Attorney in Florida's northern district who was arrested on suspicion of soliciting sex with a 5-year-old girl. He was also a volunteer coach for girls' softball and basketball teams, and president of a youth sports association. He was arrested in a sex sting operation, and charged with "enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity using the Internet", "aggravated sexual abuse," and "traveling across state lines to have sex with someone under the age of 12". Atchison committed suicide by hanging himself in his prison cell in Milan, Michigan, three weeks later.
Christopher Paul Neil, better known as Mr. Swirl Face or Vico, is a Canadian convicted child molester. He was the subject of a highly publicized Interpol investigation of the child sexual abuse of at least 12 young boys in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand, primarily owing to the Internet release of pornographic images depicting the abuse. He was arrested by Royal Thai Police in October 2007.
To Catch a Predator is an American reality television series in the television news magazine program Dateline NBC featuring confrontations of host Chris Hansen, partly filmed with a hidden camera, with adult men arriving at a sting house to have sex with a minor and typically being arrested as a result. The minors are adults impersonating underage persons in online chats.
Amanda Michelle Todd was a 15-year-old Canadian student and victim of cyberbullying who hanged herself at her home in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. A month before her death, Todd posted a video on YouTube in which she used a series of flashcards to tell her experience of being blackmailed into exposing her breasts via webcam on the livestreaming and online chat service Blogger, and of being bullied and physically assaulted. The video went viral after her death, resulting in international media attention. The original video has had more than 15 million views as of May 2023, although mirrored copies of the video had received tens of millions of additional views shortly after her death; additionally, a YouTube video by React has a video of teens reacting to Todd's video which has garnered 44.7 million views as of May 2023, and various videos from news agencies around the world regarding the case have registered countless millions more. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and British Columbia Coroners Service launched investigations into the suicide.
Rehtaeh Anne Parsons, was a 17-year-old Cole Harbour District High School student who attempted suicide by hanging at her home in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, on April 4, 2013, leading to a coma and the decision to switch her life support machine off on April 7, 2013. Her death has been attributed to online distribution of photos of an alleged gang rape that occurred 17 months prior to her suicide, in November 2011. On a Facebook page set up in tribute to her daughter, Parsons' mother blamed the four boys who allegedly raped and released images of her, the subsequent constant "bullying and messaging and harassment", and the failure of the Canadian justice system, for her daughter's decision to die by suicide.
Sweetie was a computer animated child that was created by children's rights organization Terre des hommes as a sting operation. It was used to lure online sexual predators into providing personally-identifiable information, so that this information could then be reported to law enforcement agencies.
Dave Herman was an American disc jockey, popular in the New York metropolitan area from 1972 to 1998. Herman was born in Huntington, New York and was the son of an Orthodox rabbi.
Online predators are individuals who commit child sexual abuse that begins or takes place on the Internet.
The Jewish Community Watch is a global Jewish organization dedicated to the prevention of child sexual abuse (CSA) within the Orthodox Jewish community. Originally based in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the organization has been noted for its controversial wall of shame where it publicizing the names of people it considers suspected abusers by posting their names and alleged activities on the organization's website. The organization ceased day-to-day operations in 2014. JCW restarted daily operations several months later, restructuring with a new board of directors as well as an advisory board. Jewish Community Watch focuses on abuse prevention through education and awareness as well as locating individuals thought to have abused children and warning the local community of their presence. The organization's founders are two residents of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Meyer Seewald, and his brother Schneur Seewald.
Stinson Hunter is a British vigilante who is best known for his role in the documentary The Paedophile Hunter. The film investigating child sexual exploitation was named "Best Documentary on a Contemporary Theme" in the 42nd British Documentary Awards, which "celebrates documentaries from Britain and abroad that "have made a significant contribution to the genre."
North West Hebephile Hunters are a group based in the north of England who attempt to prevent child grooming or child sexual abuse by confronting those they suspect of doing so. Their main method is luring adults they have previously communicated with online whilst posing as minors. In the aftermath they make a live broadcast of their interaction with alleged culprits whilst airing transcripts of previous sexually explicit communications and / or involve law enforcement.
Vincent Gerard Ryan was an Australian Catholic priest convicted of sexually abusing 37 children. He was first charged in October 1995 and sentenced to 14 years imprisonment. Ryan was the first Catholic priest in the Newcastle, New South Wales, region to be charged with child sexual abuse, and one of the first in the world to be convicted of such abuse.
Edward Gale is a retired American actor and stunt performer who appeared in films and television series primarily between 1986 and 2013.
Alex Rosen is the founder of Houston-based vigilante organization Predator Poachers, which conducts sting operations on adults who seek sexual activities with minors. By 2023, the organization has claimed responsibility for arrests in 46 U.S. states and convictions in 33, though this statistic has not been fully verified.
A sex sting is a type of sting operation where a person, usually a law enforcement officer, purports to be a child or teenager on the internet in order to engage in sexually explicit activities with an adult. The evidence of the interactions between the two parties is then collected by the undercover agent and used in criminal prosecutions.
Thomas Fellows is the founder of Colorado Ped Patrol, a vigilante group that carries out sting operations against adults who send sexual messages to minors on the internet.
Dads Against Predators (DAP) is an American vigilante group led by Joshua Mundy and Jay Cameron Carnicom. The group was founded in 2020 and is based in the state of Ohio although they have operated in several states. Its operations have been described by police as often culminating into physical violence, for which reason the group had been banned from multiple Ohio stores.
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