Paedophile hunter "blown away" by Telford grooming case
A self-styled paedophile hunter said today that he was "blown away" after a jury found a Shropshire bookie he caught in a sting operation guilty of attempting to meet a child he had chatted up online.
Stinson Hunter welcomed the verdict after former solicitor Martin Currier was convicted for attempting to meet a child after sexual grooming.
The operation run by Mr Hunter and a team of volunteers, which works to expose predators online, has led to 19 convictions including two from Shropshire.
When Currier arrived at a house in Nuneaton to meet 13-year-old called "Jodie", he did not expect to be confronted by Mr Hunter as part of an organised sting.
Their whole exchange was caught on camera and handed to the police before being played to the jury at Shrewsbury Crown Court earlier this week.
On Thursday Currier, 51, of St Marks Drive in Wellington, was bailed and told that he would be sentenced next month.
Speaking after the verdict, Mr Hunter said: "I was blown away with the verdict. I am never confident and I am very pleased with this result. Our team worked very hard for this.
"I want to thank the police, the jury and the CPS for pursuing this."
He told of how he had been "surprised" that Currier entered a not guilty plea after admitting to sending "inappropriate" messages and arranging to meet "Jodie" on camera.
The video shows Currier, wearing a white top and jeans, arriving at the meeting point before being confronted by Mr Hunter outside.
Mr Hunter, who lives in Preston, said: "Currier was my second jury conviction and I was surprised at how submissive he was when we confronted him. I think he thought it was a big wind up.
"When they arrive I talk to them calmly and I am respectful before I invite them to google my name so they know who I am. I have zero feelings towards them and I don't judge.
"Most people have an idea about what they think I am like and believe that I'm just an idiot with a camera- but something needs to be done about this problem. I love what I do."
And the 33-year-old has had some close shaves during planned sting operations in the past including being run over and hit with a crowbar.
"Our work is trying to force change in the Government, there is a problem with online predators and something needs to be done," he said.
Currier told the court that he believed a girl called "Jodie" had been seeking his help and had been trying to boost her confidence through a number of messages.
He claimed that at one point he was receiving messages from "Jodie" every seven minutes.
He said he had no intention of doing anything sexual when he agreed to the meeting.
Until last year, Mr Hunter was operating undercover before revealing his identity in controversial Channel 4 documentary The Paedophile Hunter.
He said he was currently working on a future documentary in Australia and following a number of other stings through the courts.
