Lawsuits against Surrey Creep Catchers allege defamation, threats
VANCOUVER — A vigilante group that claims to expose alleged pedophiles is facing two defamation lawsuits in British Columbia including one from a man who criticized the group’s practices in an online commentary that he says led to him wrongly being called a pedophile.
Sean Smith of Campbell River filed a notice of claim in B.C. Supreme Court on March 16 against the president of the Surrey Creep Catchers, Ryan LaForge, alleging he identified Smith as a pedophile in a series of public posts on Facebook.
Smith says as a result, he received response posts threatening him with death or bodily harm.
The social media consultant and educator said he created a video sharing his critical perspective on creep catcher groups because their practices are at odds with what he teaches people about online etiquette.