A British man died after falling from a height onto a motorway after being confronted by online pedophile hunters a day before.
As reported by The Guardian, Avon and Somerset Police arrested the man, who was in his 40s, on Friday evening during a live stream by a self-proclaimed child predator hunting group.
The Man Attempted to Engage in Sexual Activity With What He Thought was a Child but Was Confronted by the Predator-Hunting Group Instead
The man allegedly attempted to engage in sexual activity with what he thought was a child. He was not charged with any offences and was released from custody on bail on Saturday. Not long after his release, the man was seen falling from a height onto the M4 motorway at about 6.40 p.m., police said.
In a statement, Avon and Somerset police said the man's death is being treated as non-suspicious and his next of kin are being offered support.
"A mandatory referral has been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following previous police contact." The police added: "We would ask people not to speculate during this time and to respect the family's privacy."
An IOPC spokesperson said: "We can confirm we have received a referral from Avon and Somerset police in connection with a man's death on Saturday evening. We will be assessing the referral to decide whether any investigation by the IOPC is required."
The Pedophile-Hunting Group Says it Has Removed the Video
The group involved in the alleged sting said it had removed the livestreamed video. In a post online, the group issued the following statement, "Can we please respect his family and allow them to grieve. We did what we had to do and expose a pred, but unfortunately we have no control of what they decide to do following a sting."
The group told the Guardian it had been operating since September 2022 and claimed to have caught more than 150 individuals who went on to be convicted and sentenced. The group, which is made up of 10 people, said they would typically contact police when they had confirmed the identity of an alleged suspect, shortly before they went live online.
