Target of Creep Catcher fears for life
Man in internet video posted by Surrey group says he is being punished for innocent encounter
A man targeted by the Surrey Creep Catcher group says in court documents he fears for his safety since being confronted by the vigilantes.
The man made the comments in an affidavit he filed as part of a complaint made to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for B.C., which ordered the group to destroy a video posted online of the July 2016 confrontation in Surrey.
He said in the affidavit that before the incident, he had responded to an online ad in the “Strictly Platonic” section of the website Craigslist, a place for adults looking to meet people outside of a dating context.
The ad appeared to be written by a woman named “Bekky” who after some correspondence suggested a meeting and at the same time revealed that “she” was 15 years old.
He said he was a “little bit disappointed” but liked to talk to people of all ages about all kinds of things and connecting with somebody for a talk about art or bikes or whatever seemed like a decent way to spend an hour or two on a summer afternoon.
Unbeknownst to him, “Bekky” was in fact a member of the Surrey Creep Catcher group, which aims to expose pedophiles and posts videos of the confrontations online.
At a Blenz Coffee shop, the man was approached by a man he says he now knows to be Ryan Laforge, the leader, along with another man and a woman. All three were holding up smartphones and appeared to be video recording him, he said.
Initially he said he was a “little nervous” for his safety and also embarrassed but most of all kind of confused and didn’t really know what the problem was.
He later became aware of the publication of a video as well as chat logs posted on YouTube and Facebook, as well as the Surrey Creep Catcher website, which identified him as “Creep of the Week” and presented him as “some kind of child predator.”
“I have seen commentary online where people call for me to be killed,” he said in the affidavit. “I feel as though it has affected my entire life — I am afraid for my safety and so move around frequently; I can’t focus on finding a good job.”
The man said he’d done everything he could think of to have the video removed, including pleas to Laforge on a number of occasions, to no avail.
“I did succeed in having it removed from YouTube, but not from Facebook or other sites. It seems that each time I complain, Mr. Laforge and members of Surrey Creep Catcher “reblast” it to punish me.”
The man filed his complaint with the information and privacy commissioner, who found that the group had violated his privacy and that of another complainant and ordered them to destroy the video and chat logs.
Laforge responded by filing a petition opposing the decision. The commissioner has filed a response to the petition renewing the demand to take down the video. In an email Thursday, Laforge called the complainant a “child predator” and vowed not to remove the video.
“I’m gonna show the world those who feel it is OK to lure and groom children. That’s OK. I’m used to being the bad guy.”