THE home of a former underage GAA coach confronted by a self-styled paedophile hunter group has been targeted in an arson attack.
The man, who is in his thirties, has coached underage teams at his club in Co Antrim.
It is believed he was confronted at his home in a rural village at the weekend by up to seven people linked to a group styling itself Predator Catchers Northern Ireland.
Police said he was later arrested “on suspicion of attempted sexual communication with a child”.
“He has been released on strict police bail pending further enquiries,” a police spokesman said.
During the encounter, which was broadcast live on Facebook, the man was questioned about alleged online conversations he had with a person he thought was a 14-year-old boy.
The group claim some of the exchanges were of a sexual nature.
The man denied grooming children online and when further accused said: “I’m not that person.”
During the encounter the man, who was wearing his club’s training top and a Co Antrim jersey, confirmed that he had coached underage teams.
His house was later attacked by arsonists.
Last night Superintendent Jeremy Lindsay said: “Police are investigating the possibility there is a link between the two incidents.”
During the exchange, which has been viewed almost 300,000 times, one of the group said: “You teach under-10s, under 10-year-olds”.
The man replied: “Yeah. I haven’t been coaching this year.”
Another member of the group then said: “You coached under-14s and under-16’s.”
The man replied: “At one point, yes.”
He later said the coaching “was years ago”.
North Antrim MLA Philip McGuigan said: “Any allegations or information that people have regarding abuse or any potential crimes should be reported to the police and or social services for them and the courts to deal with. I would encourage everyone to follow this and only this course of action.”
Self-styled hunter groups emerged in the north last year and have since been responsible for carrying out dozens of sting operations.
Typically the groups use adult decoys who pose as children to lure targets online.
Last August a man arrested after being confronted at his Co Antrim home by a different group later took his own life. The Police Ombudsman launched an investigation.
Last Saturday The Irish News revealed that the PSNI has provided hunter groups with “a 19-point ‘checklist’ of evidence needed for prosecutions”.
