Charges Dropped Against Hartlepool Man Accused of Online Grooming....

Teesside 'Kangaroo' Court, as its known to many locals...

The Hartlepool Man was accused of a number of child sexual offences when he was arrested back in November 2022, he's now been informed all the charges have been dropped.....

29th April 2025

A Hartlepool man who was accused of online sexual grooming and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child has had all charges against him dismissed by the court.

Colin Knight was arrested in November 2022 following an online sting operation carried out by an online child protection group that specialises in exposing individuals allegedly attempting to groom children via the internet. Knight was confronted and filmed by members of the group outside his then-home address in Hartlepool. The footage, which circulated online at the time, captured Cleveland Police arresting Knight on the spot. He was later formally charged and ordered to appear before Teesside Magistrates’ Court.

However, it's now emerged that on 27th February 2025, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reportedly offered no evidence in the case, resulting in it being formally dismissed by the court.

The child safety group that initiated the sting has since expressed both concern & frustration at being left in the dark about the status of the case, where according to a statement made online, they were not even informed about the scheduled trial date nor the decision to drop the charges until much later.

The reasons behind the CPS’s decision to discontinue the case have not been made public. This has prompted renewed questions around transparency, communication with witnesses and third-party groups, as well as the handling of evidence in prosecutions initiated by citizen-led sting operations.

Whilst such groups often present themselves as vigilante-style defenders of child safety, their methods and the admissibility of their evidence continue to divide legal experts and campaigners, however the vast majority of the public are said to be supportive of their efforts to investigate crimes that seemingly wouldn't be investigated by police forces around the country due to a lack of resources.

As of now, Colin Knight however faces no criminal charges, and Durham & Teesside Today understands the case is now officially closed.