A trans-identified male was caught attempting to sexually abuse children in two separate predator stings at two different locations by two different pedophile hunting groups.
Danielle Edney, 30, was first caught attempting to meet who he believed to be a 13-year-old girl for sexual abuse in May of 2022 by the predator hunting team STOP Stings. Months later, Edney was caught a second time in an unrelated sting while attempting to meet a 14-year-old girl for sexual abuse by PEST (Predators Exposed Sting Team). Edney sometimes goes by the name “Ariana Grande.”
According to his Facebook profile, Edney is the founder of “Transgender Trust.” Edney previously attempted to crowdfund £13,000 for his “charity” but failed to raise any money whatsoever. In the crowd funder description he described Transgender Trust as a “charity” and himself as the “charity’s director.” Transgender Trust is not registered with the UK’s charity commission.
In May of 2022, Edney was caught in a predator sting after communicating with who he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. The account was in fact a decoy managed by the predator hunters at STOP Sting. The group explained that Edney told the 13-year-old to “pack an overnight bag and bring her school uniform and bikini.”
He also reportedly instructed the decoy to visit a sexual health clinic for condoms prior to the meeting, and reportedly spoke of using restraints on the child.
At the intended meet-up spot, Edney was confronted by the pedophile hunters who then passed the evidence over to police.
A man who documents predator stings, identified only as Rob, uploaded video of the confrontation for documentation purposes to his YouTube, but his channel was then suspended from the platform.
Speaking with Reduxx, Rob explained he began reporting on Edney through his YouTube channel, and even interviewed him in an attempt to give Edney an opportunity to explain his behavior. Edney then began harassing Rob online, and demanded he remove any videos documenting him and his first sting.
Rob says that his YouTube channel which documented Edney’s crimes was then taken down for “hate speech.” He believes this was because of claims of “transphobia.”
“I [had] covered it but it was removed by YouTube. They didn’t allow my freedom of speech on the subject only because Danielle identified as trans. They actually deleted that channel as a result, despite me not making any transphobic remarks,” Rob told Reduxx.
During the May sting, Edney confirms he was 29-years-old at the time and was attempting to meet a 13-year-old child. He makes the excuse that he seeks out children for sex because of his lack of success with adult dating and also stated he has a lot in common with 13-year-olds. He admitted to predator hunters that he had been previously arrested for impersonating a police officer at the pride parade in Crawley, West Sussex because he had been carrying police-grade handcuffs. He claimed the handcuffs were for “protection,” but didn’t specify from what.
“I’m a transwoman of God, I’ll tell you the truth,” Edney said during his first sting, before confessing to talking to children online since 2019. He also claimed he was struggling with demons who directed his actions.
“Okay, the majority of this incident is my fault but some if it is down to my demons, Beelzebub and Lucifer,” Edney told the pedophile hunters. Footage of the May sting was uploaded to Twitter on January 29 and began to attract attention.
Edney was ultimately arrested on May 14 following the sting. He was released from custody shortly after, and soon became increasingly vocal online against pedophile hunting groups while using the social media handle “Sussex Bail Bonds.”
In December of 2022, Edney would be caught in a predator sting once again by an unrelated pedophile hunting group initially unaware of his past criminal history.
Steve, a team member at P.E.S.T (Predators Exposed Sting Team), led the second sting against Edney, and told Reduxx he was only made aware that Edney was a reoffender when he came across Rob’s videos on Rumble.
“When I was initially investigating Danielle Edney I had no idea he had previously been stung and reported to the police by another voluntary team until 72 hours before my sting operation, I came across some information online during my research on the build up to the interception of Danielle and found video footage on Facebook and YouTube of Danielle’s first sting,” Steve told Reduxx.
Rob, whose YouTube channel had been deleted after complaints from Edney, passed his information on to P.E.S.T during their operation.
Steve from P.E.S.T told Reduxx that he had spent seven months building a case against Edney throughout 2022. He explained that Edney had connected with a number of children online, including multiple accounts from decoys operated by P.E.S.T’s online investigation team.
Steve explained how Edney became particularly interested in one decoy account established to appear as a vulnerable 14-year-old girl.
“Danielle couldn’t resist what he believed to be a child [to] meet him for sex following online sexual grooming,” Steve told Reduxx. “He even arrived armed and protected in a security vest to defend himself in case he was caught by a pedophile hunter again.”
Edney attempted to meet the decoy in December of 2022 but was instead greeted by P.E.S.T hunters Steve and Stacey. During the second sting, Steve and Stacey confronted Edney about his sexual conversation with a child, who he reportedly said he wanted to “impregnate.” They also made him aware they knew he was a re-offender.
When asked why he pursued children for sex, Edney repeatedly insisted that he had “uncontrollable sexual urges.” He stated he had never had sexual relations before, and consumed pornography as well as used sex toys to address his desires.
“Because I’ve not had sex in my entire life because I’ve not had what you guys have got which is a proper relationship,” Edney told Stacey and Steve.
The hunters asserted that a lack of sexual partners was no excuse for seeking out children for grooming, and accused Edney of being a pedophile.
P.E.S.T passed evidence onto police and Edney was again arrested. Steve said he felt that on this occasion the police response was very professional
“The Crown Prosecution Service were fantastic in getting Danielle remanded into custody following him being reported for the offense on the day,” Steve told Reduxx. The hunter also says he is confident that his sting will result in Edney being convicted.
“I am more than confident Danielle’s offenses will be taken seriously enough to have him convicted, yes. Especially after Danielle was immediately placed in to custody on remand following his arrest until his court date. Both my evidence and the other voluntary teams evidence will be produced for his conviction.”
Despite his confidence, Steve did note that he believes the courts can be too lenient on predators like Edney.
When asked for his recommendations for parents who want to safeguard their children in the digital age, Steve strongly suggests parents routinely check their children’s online activity and monitor where they end up on the web.
“Safeguarding starts at home. Sexual predators are using online social media accounts and gaming apps to get into your homes and to your children.”
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