Locations
Worcester, Worcestershire
Description
A CONVICTED paedophile from Worcester who was caught by an online group of hunters has been ensnared again just two months after he was sentenced.
Online paedophile hunters from a group called Innocent Voices confronted Ian Pursall in a video streamed on Facebook and viewed more than 50,000 times.
Pursall had already been convicted of attempted sexual communication with a child in February after being caught by a different group of online hunters form a group known as "Leave Our Kids Alone"
In the video, released on April 24, Pursall can be seen being held by the arms by two of the group as a third, a woman, announces why they are there.
They accuse him of communicating with a child decoy, which is an adult pretending to be a child in an online chatroom.
Pursall initially tries to deny the allegations, but the hunters call for the police and the 40-minute long video ends with them saying the police are on their way to arrest him.
A West Mercia Police spokesman confirmed they had arrested a man in Worcester on that day. They said: “A 38-year-old man from Worcestershire was arrested on April 24 on suspicion of breach of a sexual harm prevention order.
"He has been released on bail while we investigate the online incident which took place on 24 April.
Pursall is already a convicted paedophile, having been sentenced in February for the same offence.
In that case, he had been confronted by a group called “Leave Our Kids Alone”.
He was convicted at Worcester Magistrates Court on February 25 where he was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years.
In addition, he was made subject to a seven year sexual harm prevention order.
Under this order, he was banned from:
Using any device capable of accessing the internet or storing images unless it has the capacity to retain and display internet usage history, that this function is enabled at all times, and that this function is enabled at all times.
He also must not delete any of his internet history and be able to show it to police when requested.
He was also banned from changing any of his passwords and had to submit all electronic devices for police Visor management, should they request it.
In a post on the Innocent Voices Facebook page, the group said: “Ian from Worcester, stung by us on April 24, 2021 and arrested for breach of his sexual harm prevention order.
“Ian was previously sentenced in February 2021 for sexual communication with a child.
“We also handed fresh new evidence in regarding further sexual communication with a child and he also sent sexual images and videos of himself and badgered her for indecent images.
“He also wanted to meet the child for sex. Well done to LOKA (Leave Our Kids Alone) for the previous conviction, let’s hope he gets an actual prison sentence now if not at least he’s been exposed.”
In the video, the hunters ask Pursall why he used a false name (Michael Cade) when speaking to children online.
In response, he tried to claim the name was a nickname.