Home / Crime and Justice / Riot Erupts After Paedophile Hunter Group Confronts Suspect
Riot Erupts After Paedophile Hunter Group Confronts Suspect
26 Aug
Summary
- Man arrested by vigilante group for child sex offense
- Riot police deployed as violent disorder erupts in neighborhood
- 80-year-old blind man hospitalized after brick thrown through window
On July 1st, a 38-year-old man named Lee Comley was arrested on a child sex offense after being confronted by members of a vigilante paedophile hunter group. The group, calling itself the Child Online Safety Team, had been conducting a livestreamed sting operation on Facebook, which showed Comley being confronted over alleged vile online messages he had sent to a supposed 14-year-old girl.
The arrest sparked a violent riot on the quiet Leigh Park estate in Hampshire. Within hours, over a hundred people, some reportedly traveling from as far as Paulsgrove in Portsmouth, flooded the area, chanting "paedo, paedo" and hurling missiles at the police. The riot, which peaked at around 1,000 people, saw fences torn down, police officers attacked, and an 80-year-old blind man hospitalized after a brick was thrown through his window.
Appearing in court via video link from HMP Winchester, Comley has now pleaded guilty to a single charge of attempting to incite a 14-year-old child into sexual activity. However, the "child" was actually a decoy from the vigilante group. Sentencing has been adjourned until October 31st, and Comley has been remanded in custody pending a pre-sentence report.
