A South Australian man who conducted citizen arrests on suspected paedophiles has been charged by police, sparking community support for his legal fees. Rich Warner, 42, a victim of child sexual abuse, set up a fake online profile posing as a teenage boy to lure alleged offenders.
Warner performed two citizen arrests, recording the encounters and posting videos online. Police arrested him on Friday, charging him with aggravated assault, two counts of using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offence, and one count of publishing the identity of a person charged with a sexual offence. South Australian law prohibits identifying those charged with sexual offences until they plead guilty or are committed to trial.
A GoFundMe page raised nearly half of its $5,000 goal in two days to cover Warner's legal costs. He expressed gratitude for the support and warned parents to be vigilant about the scale of child sexual abuse. 'The public would be completely shocked if they had any idea,' he said.
Police criticised Warner's actions, with Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Overmeyer urging the public not to take the law into their own hands. 'Let us do our job,' he said, warning that vigilantes could face criminal charges.
