Five men linked to the citizen patrol group Pedo Hunting Sweden received convictions for aggravated assault. The district court sentenced them for attacking an alleged pedophile in Örnsköldsvik.
On an evening last May, the victim was lured to the travel center through a dating app. Three masked men ambushed him there. They punched and kicked him repeatedly. The assault continued while he lay on the ground.
The group recorded the violent encounter. They later shared the footage across Instagram, TikTok and Telegram platforms.
Ångermanland District Court convicted all five accused members. Four received multi-year prison sentences. One younger participant faced youth sanctions since he was 16 during the crimes.
The court ruling noted that vigilante actions harm both victims and society itself. Such groups operate outside legal boundaries despite claiming moral purposes.
These citizen patrol movements have grown across Sweden in recent years. They typically target individuals they suspect of sexual crimes against children. Their methods often involve entrapment through fake online profiles.
Legal experts question the effectiveness of vigilante justice. They note these actions can compromise police investigations and undermine the judicial system.
What happens when citizens take law enforcement into their own hands? The Örnsköldsvik case shows how quickly organized stings turn into criminal violence.
The convicted men ranged from 17 to 31 years old. Their sentences reflect Sweden's strict approach to vigilante violence, even when perpetrators claim moral motives.