ABSTRACT
It is December 2006: a group of up to 300 people gather outside a bungalow in a small English village. Some pelt the property with eggs, a brick is thrown through a window. They chant ‘paedophile out’ and wave banners reading ‘move the monster’. Such scenes have become familiar over recent years. This particular incident was triggered by a front-page story in the News of the World, revealing that this bungalow housed the notorious Robert Oliver. Oliver had been jailed in 1989 for the gang rape and manslaughter of the 14-year-old Jason Swift. He was released eight years later, and had been trailed by journalists ever since. ‘WE UNCOVER KILLER PAEDOPHILE’, the News of the World headline declared, ‘BECAUSE OFFICIALS WON'T’ (10 December 2006). ‘Oliver, 52, has certainly made every effort to conceal his identity since moving into his council bungalow’ commented the paper.
But that didn't stop the News of the World tracking him down to his new lair […]. Since we last snapped him Oliver has ditched his specs and grown out his crew cut. But there was no disguising his evil eyes. Neighbours were horrified when we revealed the truth about the pot-bellied pervert.
