Man falls to his death after being confronted by ‘paedophile hunters’

[Pelican Press 0]

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Man falls to his death after being confronted by ‘paedophile hunters’

A man who fell to his death on a motorway had been confronted by so-called “

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” the day before.

Adrian Smith, who was in his 40s,

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hours after being released without charge by police.

An “online child protection team” sting operation confronted Smith on Friday evening, live-streaming the interaction.

Somerset and Avon Police officers later arrived at the scene and arrested him.

On Saturday, having been released without being charged, he was seen falling from a height onto the M4 at about 6.40pm.

His death is being treated as non-suspicious.

The force has made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC), as the death occurred following police contact.

Police ask public not to speculate

A spokesman for

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said: “We are grateful to members of the public who have come forward with information following the death of a man on the M4 motorway on Saturday…

“We understand this incident may be distressing for some people and we urge you to seek support should you need it.”

They added: “We would ask people not to speculate during this time and to respect the family’s privacy.”

In posts on

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, the groups involved in the sting asked for people to “allow his family to grieve in a respectful manner”.

An IOPC spokesman said: “We can confirm we have received a referral from Avon and Somerset Police in connection with a man’s death on Saturday evening.

“We will be assessing the referral to decide whether any investigation by the IOPC is required.”

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