'Name and shame' man faces court

Stuart Carnie with his planned website

The Aberdeen man who said he was planning a website to "name and shame" paedophiles is to appear in court charged with conspiring to abduct a child.

Stuart Carnie, 37, is one of nine people charged in connection with the alleged abduction of a nine-year-old girl in Sunderland last February.

Northumbria Police said Mr Carnie was due to appear at Durham Crown Court on Friday.

The former security guard, who has formed a group called Caring for Children, appeared on BBC Newsnight Scotland on Tuesday and told of his plans for the website.

He received backing from the mother of a boy who was murdered by a paedophile in Aberdeen.

Charities' concern

But he was criticised by the Scottish Executive, police, children's charities and organisations for ex-prisoners.

A spokeswoman for the charity Children First said the organisation was "very concerned" by the plans.

Valerie Howarth, chief executive of ChildLine, said: "For children it is dangerous because paedophiles may be driven underground, changing their names and moving to areas where they are not known to the authorities.

"In this situation they may be more likely to re-offend."

Existing site

It emerged on Wednesday that a website listing people convicted of sex crimes has been on the internet for more than two years.

It was set up by an Edinburgh man after three of his daughters were abused in 1996.

Mr Carnie's ex-wife is reported by the Daily Record to have described him as a "Walter Mitty fantasist".

The couple, who have five children, divorced earlier this year.