Gardaí express 'concern' at work of paedophile hunter groups

David Raleigh

Gardaí said they are investigating claims by a paedophile hunter group of sexual communications involving a Limerick man and whom he believed to be a 13-year old girl, but expressed concerns around the legality of such interactions and the potential for violence and harm being caused to persons.

The man was approached by members of a group identifying itself as “Justice Reborn” at a village in Co Limerick.

Gardaí said they were “aware of an alleged incident that occurred in Doon, Co Limerick, on 1st February 2026”, and said their enquiries were “ongoing”.

“No arrests have been made at this time. Investigations are ongoing,” they added.

However, gardaí said approaches made to individuals by “private groups” were “a cause of concern for An Garda Síochána and for other police services”.

The group’s interaction with a man in Co Limerick was recorded and streamed online by Justice Reborn’s Facebook page and shared online by other similar groups.

The video recording attracted much positive reaction from members of the public who praised Justice Reform in respect of the interaction with the male.

However, gardaí warned: “The activity engaged in and the manner of confrontation between such groups and their targets has the potential for violence and could result in harm to persons present.”

“There are concerns over the legality of the actions and the manner in which such groups operate, and how they interact with their chosen targets prior to and during the arranged meeting has the potential to affect future criminal proceedings,” said gardaí.

“It is An Garda Síochána's role to investigate crime and enforce enacted legislation. Every citizen has a constitutional right to innocence until proven guilty and be subject to a human rights based criminal investigation,” gardaí explained.

Gardaí said the “safety of children is a priority at all times for An Garda Síochána and An Garda Síochána use all lawful means to fully investigate and prosecute crimes which jeopardise the safety of a child”.

Gardaí urged “anyone with information relating to the potential sexual exploitation of children to report it immediately to An Garda Síochána where it will be investigated by professional investigators”.

A spokesperson for Justice Reborn said they would not make any comment on the garda statement issued to this reporter.

The Justice Reborn spokesperson said the group “conducted a sting operation” arising out of alleged sexual communications in “chat logs” involving a named individual.

The spokesperson said members of the group provided gardaí with a record of the alleged communications.

The spokesperson said Justice Reborn “team members” also provided statements to gardai in respect of their interaction with the man in Co Limerick.

“We gather the evidence and once it is handed to the guards that’s our part complete,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said the group has completed “over 250 sting operations” in the past 12 months.