Laval police officer set up by ‘pedophile hunters’ officially charged

The patch on a Laval police officer's uniform, photographed on Feb. 9, 2023. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

Laval police (SPL) say an officer who was set up by “pedophile hunters” in March was formally arrested and charged Thursday.

Anthony De Melo appeared before the Quebec Court Thursday morning and was charged with luring and transmitting sexually explicit material to a person under the age of 16 or whom he believed to be under the age of 16.

In March, the SPL said the officer was suspended with pay, which Noovo Info reports is still the case. He was a sergeant of the force prior to his arrest.

The group that allegedly set the officer up was a citizens’ group and not affiliated with any police force. The vigilantes would have invited the police officer to a meeting in a park on Montreal’s South Shore while pretending to be a minor, according to Noovo Info.

The Châteauguay Police Department reportedly began the investigation before transferring it to the SPL for operational reasons.

“It should be noted that the alleged offences were committed outside of work, while the officer was off duty,” the SPL stressed to CTV News.

According to Noovo Info sources, the former sergeant allegedly first contacted a young adult via the Grindr dating app.

The young person reportedly indicated that they were in fact 15 years old, which did not prevent the police officer from continuing the conversation.

The two users then exchanged intimate photos and decided to meet in a park in Châteauguay, where the police officer was allegedly trapped by “pedophile hunters,” who confronted him.

De Melo allegedly fled in his car. His license plate number was noted by people at the scene. Authorities used this information to search his home, which led to the arrest.