Irish Examiner view: Due process remains a vital step 

Members of paedophile-hunting group Predator Exposure outside Leeds Crown Court in the UK. 'The proper response to a suspected crime is investigation, evidence gathering, and due legal process — the hunters who move straight from evidence to exposure and public condemnation skip the latter step.' File picture: Peter Powell/PA

There is little doubt that the people who take part in so-called “predator hunter” groups are motivated, for the most part, by genuine concern for the safety of children.

It is also understandable that law-abiding citizens might feel less instinctively hostile towards groups whose stated aim is to expose suspected paedophiles than they would towards vigilante-type actions targeting other forms of alleged criminality.

But there should be no room for such ambivalence — however abhorrent the suspected crime, the public exposure and probable ruin of suspects has no place in a civilised society.

The methods employed by these groups, as described by Alex Cunningham in these pages, make for uncomfortable reading.

Decoys set up online accounts, pose as children, and wait to see if adults send sexually charged content to the accounts. If they do, a sting is organised: The ‘hunters’ track down the adult, confront the suspect, filming the encounter for posting on Facebook or other social media. There have been cases where such operations have resulted in convictions for sexual offences. But there have also been false accusations, mistaken identities, and assaults.

The Garda view is considerably less ambivalent. Several so-called predator hunting groups are known to operate in Ireland, and gardaí are concerned that filmed confrontations, involving relentless questioning and public humiliation, far from advancing convictions, can derail convictions, hamper investigations, and put people in danger.

The proper response to a suspected crime is investigation, evidence gathering, and due legal process — the hunters who move straight from evidence to exposure and public condemnation skip the latter step.

Then there is the presumption of innocence. This is not a technicality to be discarded just because the allegation is particularly repellent. It is a fundamental safeguard in our society. It is almost three centuries since jurist William Blackstone said: “It is better that 10 guilty persons escape than that one innocent suffer.” Our commitment to that principle must hold even when the alleged offence provokes revulsion.

Need for a broader review

Housing minister James Browne’s review of online bidding portals, amid concerns that they drive up house prices and ape gambling products, is welcome.

As reported yesterday by Elaine Loughlin, the minister has directed his officials to examine the online system, used by some estate agents, which allows prospective homebuyers to view current offers in real time, and come in with their counter offers. Given that buying a home is always a stressful and financially fraught process, an examination of how technology may influence buyers’ behaviour deserves serious attention.

But the review should be broader than the portals themselves. A study by the ESRI earlier this year found that open bidding systems — whether conducted through online platforms or by the traditional system of the estate agent informing bidders of new bids and inviting counter offers — encouraged people to bid significantly more than those in sealed-bid and controlled conditions.

In the ESRI experiment, participants often went beyond the budget they had previously decided was their limit. This suggests that the issue may not simply be the technology used to sell a home, there may be something inherent in open bidding that encourages people to keep going higher.

The study contained other findings that suggest a broader review of the wider buying process is required. It showed a worrying lack of understanding of the law around buying and selling homes, with widespread misconceptions about buyers’ and sellers’ rights, responsibilities, and legal obligations. Conveyancing delays, caused by uncertainty over title, probate problems, and other issues, were also identified as a major stressor for those involved.

Buying a home is something most people do no more than once or twice in their lifetime; it is the most expensive purchase they will ever make. While it is always going to be stressful, a better-informed consumer is likely to be less vulnerable to pressure, confusion, or costly mistakes.

The minister might usefully expand the review to consider whether buyers and sellers receive good, accessible information about the entire process — including making an offer, understanding the dynamics of bidding, conducting surveys, paying deposits, and the point at which they are legally bound to buy or sell.

Thriving public library service

There is good reason to celebrate our public libraries this week. National Public Libraries Open Day last Saturday offered a timely reminder of what these remarkable institutions provide, and the growing number of visits to our 330 public libraries suggest that they are thriving.

There were almost 16m visits to libraries last year, up from just under 14m in 2023. The number of items borrowed — which increasingly includes e-books, audio books, online newspapers, and magazines, along with physical books — reached more than 22m.

That is welcome news. However, the value of a library or reading itself cannot be measured only in visitor numbers or books borrowed. Libraries are increasingly taking on the role of community hubs, home to crafting groups, Irish language conversation circles, and workshops on everything from wellbeing to digital skills. The availability of such welcoming and inclusive spaces is invaluable.

Yet books remain at the heart of our libraries, and the enriching power of reading is hard to overstate. Historian Mary Beard, chairwoman of this year’s Book Price judges, recently described reading as a necessity, which gives us new perspectives and the capacity to see the world differently.

Books may entertain us, but also have the power to educate and challenge us. As Game of Thrones author George RR Martin put it: “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.”

We should celebrate the popularity of our libraries, and the access to knowledge, other lives and other worlds they offer.

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