Gay couple arrested after being wrongly accused in a sting by ‘paedophile hunters’
The couple's innocence was proven as the decoy was still receiving messages from the suspect
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
A couple were wrongly arrested following a sting by ‘paedophile hunters’ and was live-streamed on Facebook by Yorkshire Child Protectors.
Jordan and Ben, from West Sussex, were visiting Hull to see Jordan’s sister when they were confronted by a number of people outside the home, the Daily Mail reported.
The incident was streamed to more than 30,000 people on social media.
After receiving homophobic abuse, the police arrived to arrest the couple – who did not want to give their names – following a sting by so-called paedophile hunters and their phones were taken from them.
Ben 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.”
While police investigated their phones, their innocence was proven as the decoy was still receiving messages from the actual suspect.
“We were eventually released, and they had put up a post to say they were sorry and got it wrong,” Ben added.
“We are fearful of our lives.”
The couple said they were looking to sue Yorkshire Child Protectors – who have said they are ‘heartbroken’ for the two innocent men.
The YCP issued an apology saying they take the blame for their part in the arrest but said they ‘won’t be taking all the blame’.