Activists warn on child abusers

Anti-paedophile campaigners in Portsmouth have given police a list of suspected paedophiles they want removed from a housing …

Anti-paedophile campaigners in Portsmouth have given police a list of suspected paedophiles they want removed from a housing estate in the area, but some residents have vowed to resume their demonstrations if their demands are not met.

About 30 residents from the Paulsgrove estate in Portsmouth met police and Hampshire council officials yesterday to discuss the anti-paedophile demonstrations which last week forced five families in the area to flee their homes after they were targetted by protesters.

The list, which is believed to contain about 14 names, was handed over to police at the weekend after the residents agreed to suspend their demonstrations last Thursday. It is understood that six names were removed from the list.

After the meeting, many campaigners insisted they had not intended their protests to become violent and regretted that families had been forced from their homes.

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However, some residents said they wanted to resume the demonstrations.

One of the leaders of the campaign, Mr Barry Pettinger, appealed for the residents to give the council and the police time to address the issue. "I would ask people not to demonstrate, to give dialogue a chance," he said.

Hampshire Police have agreed to disclose to the list to social services and Portsmouth City Council said it would approach those named on the list to offer them alternative accommodation.