ANTHONY MILNES FROM WORCESTER CONVICTED IN CASE DESCRIBED AS THE WORST GROOMING OFFENSE SEEN, SAYS STINSON HUNTER
In June 2014, a man from Worcester named Anthony Milnes was convicted in a case described by Stinson Hunter, the man behind the online sting operation, as “the worst case of grooming and sexual exploitation we have ever seen.” Hunter, a known ‘paedophile hunter,’ started his work by creating a fake online profile of a 15-year-old girl seeking a friend, initially uncertain of what he might encounter.Almost immediately, he received a variety of messages from men of different ages, despite making the age of ‘15’ clear in the profile.
Hunter stated, “Even though the young age of ‘15’ was clearly pronounced, this did not dissuade some from sending posts of a sexually explicit nature, including images.” Alongside his team, Hunter continued the operation by setting up profiles of girls aged between 11 and 15.
They successfully targeted Milnes by posing as a 13-year-old girl.
After Milnes’ conviction, Hunter remarked that the case was among the worst he and his team had handled, saying, “It was without doubt the worst case of grooming and sexual exploitation we have ever seen in terms of his age and the way he went about it.” During their investigations, Hunter's team states that they do not approach anyone first; instead, they deploy the profiles and wait for contact.
Once they receive an initial message, they inform the individual that the person they are speaking with is underage.
All information, including video footage, is then handed over to the police.
Hunter’s work has faced criticism in the past, with some police officials suggesting that his entrapment tactics might be unlawful.
Hunter, however, denies being a ‘vigilante,’ emphasizing that he considers himself a journalist.
His website explains his motivation: “We never thought for a moment that the videos we upload would be as popular as they have been, nor did we consider the largely positive response; however, understandably, there are people who are sceptical about the concept and the way we work.
But, this aside, we would like to thank you all for your overwhelming support.”
