Catching Online Sex Predators
 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24818769

A charity created a computer-generated 10yo Filipino girl, went into chat rooms and identified 1000 men (of thousands more) who solicited her for sex acts. they handed the names to the police. The response from the law enforcement agencies?

This sort of thing is best left to the official agencies.


What do you think? Are the "official channels" doing enough or has this charity not only highlighted the exponentially-growing vastness of the problem but also taken the right step in tackling it?

Watch the video just to see how fast that girl is solicited by dozens of men.

I've worked these cases before. Our jurisdiction requires an overt act such as attempting to meet the minor to have sex. Normally a sting is set up at a safe house and the men are arrested when they arrive. Thus we are able to prove intent & an overt act.

This raises an interesting question. If computer generated shooting games are not the same as murder, how can computer generated kiddie porn sites be considered the same as pedophilia?

I am sickened by the idea that so many guys were attracted to this virtual honeypot trap, but where's the victim?

These guys didn't know she wasn't real, though. Attempted murder is still a crime, even if your partner switched the bullets to blanks beforehand without telling you so nobody actually got hurt. Maybe this was "attempted" child pornography?

Other than pointing out a problem, I'm doubting there will be any legal outcome.

This sort of thing on TV (with real and live, but very young looking, LO's)
is being used now as nothing more than public entertainment.

Perhaps the attempt should be made a crime just as attempted murder is?