We quit our jobs in our twenties to become full-time paedophile hunters

They may not wear capes or have superhuman abilities, but two men from Newcastle-on-Tyne have decided to take the law into their own hands and catch the paedophiles that search the internet for their young victims.

Callum and Scott, 22 and 25 , waved goodbye to their previous careers and founded ‘Dark Justice’ in October 2014. We can’t reveal anything more about them, but the successful ‘paedo hunters’ help the police by working 17 hour days: creating several media accounts presenting themselves as young boys and girls, normally between the ages of 11 and 18.

Scott and Callum told the Tab: “We are not graduates from university, but we have both worked in many different roles, from cooking to web hosting before Dark Justice”. The pair stressed that what they do is “all about giving useful information to the police.”

Dark Justice do not incite sexual grooming or approach the groomers themselves. They simply wait to be approached by the sexual groomers. Callum and Scott make the age of the account clear, and analyse the language closely. If the groomer (usually an adult) sexualises the dialogue and seeks to meet up with the victim, DJ agrees to meet up, notifies the police, and confronts the paedophile.

Following accusations that they are vigilantes who hinder not help police work, DJ have made it clear that they do not catalyse sexually explicit messages, but rather wait for them.

Just one of the many arrests made possible by Dark Justice

Callum and Scott refrain from publishing many details about themselves, and therefore not much is known about their ages or previous occupations. Last July, they appeared on the TV show, ‘This Morning’, wearing black hoodies to shield their identities. Their website allows donations to their cause (as their hunting is unpaid), and it is possible to buy merchandise.

On 4 April 2016, rather than encountering the 14-year-old girl he’d shared over 750 messages with, 44-year-old David Hanson, from Newcastle, (pictured above), ran into Dark Justice and consequently fainted soon after  (watch the moment here)

Since Dark Justice was created, out of the 54 people arrested 23 of them have been convicted so far – the rest are on police bail/on remand awaiting court dates.

This Monday 27th June, Dark Justice met up with Jeremiah Mace (65), who used the name Toby, following a sexually explicit exchange with what he believed to be a 15-year old girl.

Looking at the dialogue, it is understandable why Dark Justice alerted the police: you can see the awkward confrontation here

Inspired by superhero movies? Revolting against the competence of police? A hatred of sexual groomers and child abusers? Whatever their motivations are, it’s hard not to admire the former chefs for taking the law into their own hands, and tackling what has become a serious problem in the UK.

Check out their website here, and follow their Facebook page here