'Paedophile hunter' Stinson explains motives behind online predator campaign

He's been waiting to be pulled into conversations with some of the most dangerous and manipulative predators on the internet; men that groom children with the aim of meeting them for sex.

After a period of conversation during which Stinson further reiterates the age of the 'child', the 33-year-old arranges to meet the men, recording the 'sting' and posting it online to hundreds of thousands of followers on his website and social media pages.

Along with the video, Stinson shares the full text conversations, explicit images and videos shared by the men along with their information with the police as well as the public.

Do you agree with Stinson's methods? Vote now in our poll.

Until earlier this month, Stinson was operating undercover before revealing his identity in controversial Channel 4 documentary The Paedophile Hunter. Now, in full glare of the public eye, he explains his motives behind the operation to expose child sex predators online.

He says: "I'm just a normal person that identified a problem and instead of sitting on my backside moaning, I got up and did something about it.

"The police don't bother and a lot of forces don't take the evidence I provide them with seriously – they just see it as one big joke, an idiot with a camera.

"They thought I'd go away and I didn't. I'm embarrassing them – they get a budget to do what I do and can't get the job done. They don't like that."

The operation has so far led to 16 convictions, including one in Wolverhampton and one in Shropshire; statistics that Stinson believes far exceeds the current conviction rate of the police that operate in a similar way.

"The up-tops at the police are clueless. We don't bulls**t or sensationalise – we show everything for what it is. The suits are saying 'we need change' but have no finger on the pulse. The fact that I'm a normal guy is what sets me apart.

"I'm not a vigilante because I don't take the law into my own hands – I hand the information into the police and let them deal with the law side of things."

The operation is run by Stinson and a team of volunteers, all of whom work without funding or profit to expose predators online.

"People who suspect their child is being groomed or any child for that matter, need to report it straight to police. So many people come to me to ask me to take the case and I'm not legally allowed to do that.

"All I do if we're getting to the bare bones of it is report a crime. I have no special powers to catch criminals – people just need to be vigilant and let the police know if something's wrong.

"I wouldn't recommend or condone anyone doing stings of their own because the law around this area is very strict. If you don't really know what you're doing you could end up on the sex offenders register yourself."

See the full interview in today's Express & Star.