THE last 12 months have seen a rise in vigilante groups carrying out stings in attempts to snare potential child sex offenders in the county.

A group called “The Hunted One” was the first to spread their message to Herefordshire’s Facebook users when they called police to the County Bus Station almost 14 months ago.

They had surrounded a car and made a number of allegations against one man.

He would later be arrested and charged but always maintained his innocence before the case was eventually thrown out when the Crown Prosecution offered no evidence at Hereford Crown Court last week.

The whole episode shows just why West Mercia Police was right to ask the public to refrain from carrying out stings – and to leave investigations to the professionals.

It also highlights the poisonous and lawless side of social media where a man can be falsely labelled a paedophile within seconds of a video being uploaded.

And this case also endangered an innocent family when an incorrect address was posted onto the internet purporting to be the home of the arrested man in the Hunted One film.

Whether it be false rumours of businesses closing or malicious accusations made against members of the public, Facebook offers a platform where the normal rules that newspapers follow simply do not apply.

This example shows a nasty side of the internet where mobs rule and is one that must be addressed soon.