Vigilante groups and justice

Sir, – While grooming and sexually abusing under-age children are serious offences, the emergence of vigilante groups whose purpose is to catch alleged paedophiles is alarming in its implications. The basic principle of Irish law is that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the courts.

The notion that a group of individuals should be free to set traps and pounce upon people in the street whom they suspect of being paedophiles is a very dangerous development.

Publishing videos of these encounters, which often include accusations and threats, invites a wide public to find the individual guilty without benefit of judge or jury.

Not only does this activity destroy the lives of people accosted in this way – some of whom may be innocent before the law – but the genuinely guilty may claim that they will not receive a fair trial, as there is already widespread presumption of guilt.

Remembering Dorothea Findlater

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Lord Kilclooney and Donegal

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Take me to your leader

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Degrading conditions in Garda stations

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In the long term, the activities of vigilante groups will merely drive paedophiles further underground and make the task of official law enforcement that much more difficult. – Yours, etc,

SEAN ANDREWS,

Maynooth,

Co Kildare.