- A 45-year-old imam has been arrested after allegedly grooming a young boy
- The man who works in Blackburn accused of sending messages to 'boy'
- He was in fact sending messages to paedophile hunters 'Justice Will Be Served'
- Investigation underway after man was arrested by Greater Manchester Police
Paedophile hunters have released footage which shows a respected imam allegedly trying to meet a 15-year-old boy for sex after grooming him with offers of money on a gay dating app.
The married father-of-five was snared by the vigilante group outside an address in Flixton, Greater Manchester, and was accused of traveling nearly an hour in the car to abuse the boy while his mother was at work.
'Justice Will Be Served' posed as a young boy on Grindr and filmed their encounter with the 45-year-old, who a mosque in Blackburn, Lancashire.
The man squirms as he is read messages which he allegedly sent to who he thought was the boy, but was in fact the paedophile hunters. He allegedly asked the boy 'how much' he wanted to perform a sex act after contacting the account on the gay dating app.
The married father-of-five was snared by paedophile hunters outside an address in Flixton, Greater Manchester
He was accused of traveling nearly an hour in the car to abuse the boy while his mother was at work
While planning the meeting online, he allegedly said he would bring a folder so he could claim he was there for a work appointment if anybody became suspicious.
When confronted by the group, the accused denied the accusations leveled against him but admitted he 'could get killed' because homosexuality is 'against his religion'.
The man has been suspended from his role at the mosque, which it is claimed he held for more than 20 years, with a police investigation now underway.
The footage which shows the confrontation was posted onto Facebook Live yesterday and has been viewed more than 140,000 times.
As he is interrogated by the paedophile hunters, the accused tries desperately to cover his face with a scarf.
One of the hunters asks: 'So, you're a Muslim and it's against your religion. Is it against your religion to be a homosexual?'
He replies: 'Yes, it is. I could get killed.'
The hunter says: 'There's nothing wrong with being homosexual, no. But you're saying to me it's against your religion to be homosexual. So, you do know it's wrong to meet, especially a child.'
Covering his mouth with his hand, he says: 'I would get killed.'
The accused then tries to roll up his car window and tries to grab his keys but is stopped by the group who wedge the door open.
Messages which the man allegedly sent to the made-up boy are read aloud, with one of the hunters asking: 'You keep asking me how much I want for sex. "Need to know how much you want." They've replied back, saying: "I don't know, we can discuss that when you get here."'
One of the paedophile hunters confronts the man, who allegedly sent messages to a young boy
The accused covers his face with a scarf as he is quizzed by the paedophile hunters
The man protests that he thought the person he was meeting would be 18, but is swiftly told he knew the person he was meeting up with said his age was 15
He protests that he thought the person he was meeting would be 18, but is swiftly told: 'No, he said to you on a number of occasions he is 15. You've brought cash with you today. You came here to meet him for sex, mate.'
He appears to ask to speak privately off camera but they reply: 'Never gonna happen.'
As the suspect then takes out his phone, one of the hunters snatches it away from him, accusing him of trying to reset the device.
He continues to quiz the suspect, adding: 'Do any of your family members know that you're on Grindr? Are you homosexual? I mean you're perfectly in your right to be.'
Police arrested the man and the hunters handed over their own evidence as he was taken away for questioning
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman confirmed that the man had been arrested on suspicion of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and had been bailed
The other hunter adds: 'I don't get how you could pray to any God knowing that you're meeting 15-year-old guys.'
He then remains silent until the police arrive, and the hunters hand over their own evidence as he is taken away for questioning.
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: 'A 45-year-old man arrested on suspicion of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity has been bailed.'
A spokesman for Justice Will Be Served said: 'I personally have talked to one of his children and I'm horrified by how this has affected him. His life, his family's life has been ripped apart by the secret fantasies of a man who was meant to protect and provide for them.'
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