MIRZA BEG CAUGHT IN KENT AND LONDON PAEDOPHILE STING AT BLUEWATER
In July 2017, a disturbing incident unfolded at the Bluewater shopping centre in Greenhithe, Kent, involving a man named Mirza Beg who was ultimately sentenced to three years and four months in prison for his actions.Beg, who was of no fixed address at the time, became the focus of a vigilante operation after he was lured into a trap set by a group known as The Hunted One, operating in the London and Kent areas.
Beg, aged 29, believed he was meeting a 14-year-old girl for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.
The group had created a decoy profile on the social networking site Waplog, claiming to be a girl named Scarlet, who was supposedly 14 years old and from Kent.
The profile included a photograph and was part of an operation run by Andy Bradstock, who leads The Hunted One.
According to prosecutor Tom Dunn, Beg initially contacted the decoy on April 13, expressing interest and asking to meet her.
He claimed to be living in East London and inquired if she was single, requesting her trust and asking to communicate via WhatsApp and Facebook.
Beg, who was on a student visa at the time, repeatedly expressed his desire to meet and even professed love for the girl.
He suggested they meet at Bluewater’s Marks & Spencer store and told her, “You are my girlfriend,” proposing they have dinner together.
The conversation quickly turned sexual, with Beg asking if she wanted him to sleep with her and whether she wanted to keep their relationship secret because she was only 14.
Scarlet responded with concern about the age difference, but Beg reassured her, saying he would bring condoms and was willing to stay at her house while her parents were away.
On April 16, Beg traveled by bus to Bluewater, arriving outside the store at around 2 pm.
He was immediately confronted by members of The Hunted One, including Andy Bradstock, who live streamed the encounter on Facebook.
The video, which has garnered over 247,000 views, captured Beg’s reaction and the tense confrontation.
During the exchange, Beg claimed he thought the girl was over 18 and produced a packet of Durex condoms when asked if he had brought protection.
However, the situation turned violent when other individuals, apparently supporters of the vigilante group, engaged in a physical altercation with Beg.
The police issued a warning, emphasizing that members of the public should not take the law into their own hands, as violence had erupted during the confrontation.
Despite efforts by Bradstock and his group to prevent others from assaulting Beg, two men, Lee Harvey and Joe Simpkin, were later charged with affray and dealt with by the courts.
Judge David Griffith-Jones QC presided over Beg’s sentencing at Maidstone Crown Court.
Beg admitted to arranging or facilitating a child sex offence.
The judge ordered that Beg be placed on the sex offenders’ register indefinitely and imposed a sexual harm prevention order.
While the judge decided that Beg was not classified as dangerous under the relevant legislation, he made a pointed remark about Beg’s apparent sexual interest in children, stating, “You plainly have a sexual interest in young children, a fact which is self-evident in the circumstances of this offence.” Furthermore, Beg was barred from working with children and vulnerable adults.
The judge also acknowledged that Beg had been subjected to an assault after the Bluewater incident, which he noted in his sentencing remarks.
The case highlighted the dangers and complexities surrounding vigilante actions and the importance of law enforcement handling such cases through proper legal channels.
