The young man who ‘hunted down a pedophile’ faces attempted murder charges | Yle News

Numerous criminal complaints have been filed with the Finnish police regarding the illegal practice, but so far this case is the most serious.

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The trial of a 17-year-old boy facing attempted murder charges began Friday in the East Uusimaa District Court.

Police suspect the defendant, who was 16 at the time, arranged to meet a man seeking friendship with an underage boy and then tried to kill him.

Variants of the illegal practice became known as “paedo hunting”.

According to police, the attack took place in August at a house in Vantaa. The incident was first reported by tabloid Iltalehti, then confirmed by the East Uusimaa Police Department.

Two other men, aged 17 and 18 at the time, were also charged with aiding and abetting the crime.

IL reported that the teens responded to the stabbing victim’s post on the online platform.

The newspaper added that the main defendant made online arrangements to meet the victim at his home and began stabbing him after arriving. According to the newspaper, the victim managed to prevent the knife attack and get the defendant out of his home.

Police told Iltalehti that the suspect’s motive was caution and that he intended to kill the man.

“Paedo hunt” trend

A number of so-called “paedo hunting” incidents have been reported around the world in recent years, and the trend has gained traction on social media.

The scheme involves people posing as children on social media to persuade adults to have sex with them in order to expose pedophilia. Common methods include scheduling a meeting with a target and secretly video recording the encounter.

Videos are often posted online, and vigilantes also distribute personal information about their targets in an attempt to exact revenge.

Finnish police have seen numerous criminal complaints filed regarding this app, but so far the Vantaa case is the most serious.

Police condemned this practice and underlined that it is the duty of law enforcement to investigate crime and bring suspected pedophiles to court.

Finnish news agency STT reported that both the victim and the defendant requested the district court to keep the case secret, and that it was possible to keep the hearing partially or completely secret.