Gang of ‘Wolf Pack Hunters’ banned from vigilante paedo stings for two years after Edinburgh bus station attack

Four members of the Wolf Pack Hunters UK (WPH) group tracked down victim Stuart McInroy to an Edinburgh bus station before punching and butting him to the face.

The gang targeted and attacked McInroy after they claimed he had sent sexual threats to them including to WPH member Jay Sharkey stating he would rape his younger brother.

It is believed McInroy sent the vigilante group hundreds of disgusting Facebook messages regarding the sexual abuse of children.

Now WPH members Karen Ferry, 48, Martin Kuciak, 38 and William Brown, 41, have all been banned from taking part in vigilante activities for the next 24 months.

All three appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday for sentencing after previously pleading guilty to various offences in connection with the attack on McInroy.

Ferry, from Mayfield, Midlothian, and Kuciak, from Drylaw in Edinburgh were both placed on supervision for two years and told to carry out 150 and 180 hours of unpaid work respectively.

Brown, from Stranraer, was also placed on supervision for two years and told he cannot leave his home address between 7pm and 7am for the next four months.

Sheriff Robert Weir also placed a conduct requirement on all three banning them from participating in any WPH activity.

Fourth member Jay Sharkey, from Glasgow, had his sentence deferred to next week.

Fifth member Gordon Buchan, 39, had his not guilty pleas to the abduction and assault charges accepted by the Crown at the last hearing and he walked free from the dock.

Previously the court heard McInroy had sent the group abusive online messages for around two years before they eventually tracked him down to Edinburgh bus station last September.

Kuciak and Sharkey, 18, grabbed hold of McInroy and dragged him from the station before the teenager repeatedly punched his victim to the face.

Brown also arrived on the scene in his car and proceeded to head butt McInroy to the face during the violent confrontation.

Ferry helped the gang to surround McInroy while recording the meeting on her phone and live streaming it to the Wolf Pack Hunters UK Facebook page.

During the attack Ferry was heard to shout “f**king dirty beast” and “f**king paedophile” at McInroy.

McInroy, 28 was left covered in blood and with facial injuries following the attack at the Capital’s bus station on September 27 last year.

Ferry pleaded guilty to conducting herself in a disorderly manner by surrounding Stewart McInroy, making derogatory remarks towards him and filming the incident on her phone.

Kuciak pleaded guilty to abduction and Sharkey admitted the abduction and assault of McInroy.

Brown pleaded guilty to assaulting the man by butting him to the head, all at Edinburgh bus station on September 28 last year.

The Wolf Pack Hunters UK are a group who set up fake online child profiles in a bid to make contact with paedophiles looking to meet up with children for sexual activity.

Conversations are held online before meetings are then set up with alleged sexual offenders and the confrontations are live streamed to the WPH UK Facebook page.

The WPH UK group has been responsible for scores of arrests and convictions of online child abusers.

There is no suggestion McInroy was involved in any child abuse activities.

McInroy was jailed for 10 months in August 2014 after he admitted trolling the family of missing Fife man Allan Bryant by claiming he had tortured and killed the missing 27-year-old.

McInroy was then sentenced to an eight month prison term last year for a similar offence against the Bryant family but was released after serving just one month following a successful appeal.

McInroy sent messages to Allan Bryant Snr claiming to have killed his missing son, who was last seen outside a Glenrothes nightclub in 2013.

For all the latest Scottish news, sport and features click here, or head to our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.