GirlChat #603145
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preview in the daily telegraph :
WEDNESDAY 1 OCTOBER CRITICS' CHOICE: The Paedophile Hunter Channel 4, 10.00pm This compelling, troubling documentary is one of the most morally complex to air in ages. It follows a group of vigilantes, led by self-styled undercover journalist Stinson Hunter, who pose as children on social networking sites in order to catch online sexual predators. Hunters method is brutal and effective. He sets up a decoy underage profile, waits to be contacted by an older man, and then lures the target to a location, where the gang ambush him and force him to account for his actions. Hunter then posts the edited interview online for all to see, sending the full version to the police. Just considering the implications of these tactics is complicated enough, and luckily director Dan Reed carefully explores the ambiguities. Reed shows screenshots of profoundly distressing messages sent between groomer and supposed victim. Were voyeurs to the sting operations themselves, as Hunter and his crew loom over their flustered prey, demanding explanations. Police and legal experts highlight the dangers emanating from Hunters brand of rough justice. The real conundrum of the film, however, is Hunter himself, a driven man zealous in his crusade against depravation but happy to mock pictures of his targets genitalia. A fractured background of care, drugs and prison left Hunter without hope. His mission has given him purpose. Ive got complete control, he says. Whether or not you think thats a good thing lies at the heart of this fascinating film. |