Self-styled paedophile hunter carries out 10 ‘stings’ to ‘do his bit’ for society
Using the alias "Danny Catcher", man pretends to be teenage girls online to lure in potential sex offenders
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A self-styled paedophile hunter has detailed how he carried out 10 "stings" in his spare time to "do his bit" for society.
The man, who uses the alias Danny Catcher and prefers to remain anonymous, told Bristol Crown Court that he used a camera and a face mask to catch out suspected paedophiles.
Appearing as a prosecution witness in the trial of Isaac Slusalarczyk, he said that he kept medical gloves in case he needed to perform first aid on a suspect.
"I may be trying to catch paedophiles but my first concern is their safety," he said, before explaining to jurors that he set up various profiles on social media sites purporting to be 14-year-old girls, using pictures of his then-partner.
His meeting with 22-year-old Mr Slusalarczyk, who denies one charge of attempting to meet a child following grooming, was the third time he had carried out a "sting", Mr Catcher said.
"I arrive early at the location ready for the meeting," he said. "I contact the local press to make them aware that this is going to be ongoing. I wear a stab-proof vest and carry a pair of walkie talkies and wear a chest-mounted GoPro to film the encounter."
He added that he approached Mr Slusalarczyk, introduced himself and carried out a citizen's arrest before waiting 40 minutes for police to arrive.
"I would have shown police officers the key parts of the evidence that I have had printed with me," he said. "A picture of him and the part of the conversation where he was OK with the age of her being 14 and the part with the meet was arranged so the police had everything they needed to make their arrest."
The man said he became involved in so-called paedophile hunting after noticing that there were not any groups in his local area.
"I knew people who had been affected by child sexual abuse in the past and I just wanted to do my bit," he told the court. "I don't get any publicity because I'm anonymous. There's no way of knowing who I am."
Mr Catcher admitted that he had previously appealed to the public to donate mobile phones and cash for his activities but said this had been for a short period of time, with no funds collected.
He denied dressing as a police officer - wearing a stab proof vest and camera - but said he had previously been turned down after applying to work in the profession.
The court heard he was sent a letter in August 2007 by police, asking him to stop his activities.
The case was thrown out when the judge said Mr Catcher had intentionally tried to keep the accused interested.
The Judge has given the Crown Prosecution Service 24 hours to consider an appeal.
This story initially stated the trial was in progress, it has since been updated to reflect the change in status of the trial.
Agencies contributed to this report