TV trap for paedophiles

A German television show that attempts to unmask paedophiles using a young actress as bait has come under attack after a suspect vanished.

On Scene of the Crime: internet - Protecting Our Children, a young woman pretending to be a minor seeks out potential child abusers in internet chatrooms.

When a meeting is arranged, a girl playing a 13-year-old goes along, with the hidden cameras rolling. The suspects, whose images are blurred and voices distorted when they are broadcast, are confronted by a journalist.

Then the case is handed over to the police. An alleged abuser was identified by his employers after an episode last week and has since disappeared.

Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger issued a warning yesterday against television being used to promote frontier justice.