Were the police right to pay a paedophile £10,000 for information?
 

The police have been criticised for paying a paedophile £10,000 to obtain information that helped to put 18 others behind bars:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk...-a7885711.html

On the one hand I find this very unpalatable but, living in the real world where money talks, I can also can see why it was done for the greater good.

What do other cableforumers think?

Re: Were the police right to pay a paedophile £10,000 for information?
 

I agree with you.

Re: Were the police right to pay a paedophile £10,000 for information?
 

His victims can now sue him for the lot!

Re: Were the police right to pay a paedophile £10,000 for information?
 

I think that paedo should donate that money to his victims.

Re: Were the police right to pay a paedophile £10,000 for information?
 

Good point, i'd not thought of that!

I remember it being in the news where a woman who had been raped sued her attacker after he'd won the lottery. Prior to that he wasn't worth suing.

Re: Were the police right to pay a paedophile £10,000 for information?
 

Good point

Re: Were the police right to pay a paedophile £10,000 for information?
 

It was also been pointed out in a TV discussion that the man who was paid this money has served his sentence (and thus paid his debt to society) for his part in drugging and raping an underage girl.

Should this make any difference?

Re: Were the police right to pay a paedophile £10,000 for information?
 

Interesting programme about this operation:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b092q9qr

Re: Were the police right to pay a paedophile £10,000 for information?
 

The lesser of two evils, how much information comes from rewarding people who are far from squeaky clean?

Re: Were the police right to pay a paedophile £10,000 for information?
 

Police budgets are squeezed, I think we can be fairly confident they wouldn't have done this had there been any other way. I don't like it, but if it has resulted in dangerous people being taken off the streets, then so be it.

Re: Were the police right to pay a paedophile £10,000 for information?
 

Yes and this is a big difference to paying someone off and as part of the deal not prosecuting or seeking the maximum sentence.

Effectively this man should now be treated as a normal part of society (although with appropriate checks and warnings). If it is felt the best way to arrest and prosecute others is to make a payment, how is this different to putting up a reward? Probably a lot cheaper than all the "normal" police work that would have been needed without that information.

Re: Were the police right to pay a paedophile £10,000 for information?
 

He may have served his sentence, but I would not ever treat him as 'a normal part of society'. The prison sentencing in this country is a joke, particularly when you realise you only have to serve half of what is already a lenient sentence.

In this case, the crime is too despicable to be forgiven. Ever.

Re: Were the police right to pay a paedophile £10,000 for information?
 

Most people's gut reaction would be the same as yours (including mine), but sometimes a more pragmatic approach is required. What if the information provided by the paedophile prevented the abuse of a child, would it be worth it then?