As vigilantes hunt alleged paedophiles online, Dutch justice system worries

Convinced that paedophilia is on the rise in the Netherlands, groups of vigilantes have turned to tricking suspects into meetings, where the accused might face violence, extortion or arrest. — dpa

AMSTERDAM: The shock was great when Jan, a 73-year-old retired teacher, was beaten half to death near his home in the Dutch town of Arnheim. It only grew when he died in hospital shortly after, with flowers mounting at his door as neighbours marked a moment of silence.

It didn’t take long for a gang of six people accused of the crime to be rounded up. The youngest was 15 years old.