By The Canadian Press

Vigilante operation catches second B.C. man now facing sex charges

Sep 13, 2016 | 2:02 PM

VICTORIA — A growing trend of vigilante stings has resulted in charges against a former deputy sheriff in British Columbia just days after a Mountie faced similar allegations.

The B.C. Criminal Justice Branch announced Kevin Johnston, who worked in Kamloops, has been charged with three counts of communicating with an underage person for a sexual offence, and one count of invitation to sexual touching.

An unnamed RCMP officer in Surrey was arrested last week and is being investigated for child luring and sexual exploitation after a vigilante group released video of a confrontation with a man who thought he was meeting an underage girl.

Justice branch spokesman Dan McLaughlin says both men were caught by separate organizations that provided opportunities for people to communicate with who they thought were young females.

McLaughlin says the role of the justice branch when deciding on charges is to gauge the strength of the evidence and all viable defences, including if the charter rights of the accused were breached while the evidence was being collected.

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Johnston is no longer employed as a court sheriff, while the unnamed Mountie has been suspended from the force.

The Canadian Press