A “one-man lynch mob” who went to a paedophile’s door and filmed him in a bid to expose his crimes has been spared jail.
Jody Petrie targeted John Majilton at his home in Tayport in the days leading up to his sentencing last summer.
He posted his video on Facebook, where it went viral.
Two weeks before the incident Majilton – a former postman – had admitted downloading a huge stash of child abuse pictures and sending one to someone else online.
Petrie posted the video on Facebook – which has since been deleted – before following it up branding Majilton and his partner, Ashley Walker, “horrible beasts”.
Fiscal depute Lynne Mannion said Petrie had gone to the couple’s door with a jacket wrapped round his head to conceal his identity and stuck his phone through the gap when Miss Walker opened it.
Petrie, 31, of Garvie Brae, Tayport, pleaded guilty on summary complaint to a charge of behaving in a threatening and abusive manner at an address in Cowgate, Tayport, on June 25 last year.
He admitted that he turned up at the flat with his “identity concealed” by wearing a jacket wrapped around his head and placed his foot in the door to stop it being closed.
Petrie shouted, swore, uttered threats of violence and offensive remarks and made recordings of Ashley Walker and John Majilton on his mobile phone.
He then uploaded the footage on to social media whereby it was “viewed by the lieges” and “placed Ashley Walker and John Majilton in a state of fear and alarm”.
Defence solicitor Sue Williams said: “He realises this was totally unreasonable to take matters in to his own hands.
“He’s been told that he should have contacted police or social work if he had concerns.
“It was not appropriate to go to the door and approach them. He is extremely sorry.”
Sheriff Alastair Brown imposed a community payback order with 200 hours of unpaid work.
He said: “I won’t tolerate you behaving like a one-man lynch mob.
“You are very fortunate not to be going to prison for this.”
