The outwardly respectable ‘household man’ father-of-four who threw himself off M4 bridge 24 hours after being snared by paedophile hunters – as locals share shock

Adrian Smith led an unremarkable life. 

The father-of-four lived quietly with his wife and their young children in the Cotswolds village of Chipping Sodbury, although the couple were in the process of separating.

Neighbours said he was friendly and helpful and he was popular in the recycling plant where he worked full time.

But how his life ended has sent shockwaves through the close-knit community where he lived and worked.

For on February 21, the 48-year old walked to the M4 motorway and threw himself off a motorway bridge before he was hit by several passing vehicles.

The catalyst for his sudden death is clear.

Just hours earlier he had been released on bail by Avon and Somerset Police following his arrest after he was confronted by online paedophile hunters at his doorstep.

The online group alleged that he sent sexually explicit pictures and messages to an online paedophile hunter posing as a 14-year-old girl. 

The hunters, who had streamed the ‘sting’ on Facebook, took down the video after hearing of his death to ‘allow his family to grieve’ but did not apologise.

‘We exposed a paedophile and handed him to the police,’ the group said. ‘We have no control over the choices made by him.’

After alerting the police of his alleged crimes, the self-proclaimed ‘child protection services’ later published pictures of their target in handcuffs being arrested by police at his home.

Mr Smith was held by police following the ‘sting’ by online sleuths before being released on bail the next day pending further enquiries.

Just hours later at around 6.40pm, however, he was found dead after falling from height onto the carriageway and being hit by several vehicles north of Bristol, Avon Coroners’ Court heard this week.

‘No one here can believe what’s happened,’ one local barman told MailOnline. ‘He has children and everything. People thought he was a really nice guy.

‘He used to work at Suez waste recycling plant near Yate train station. He used to be easy to get on with at work and everyone was really surprised to hear about his death.’

Some who knows the said that Mr Smith also had other ongoing difficulties. They said he was suffering from a degenerative disease and that his 24-year marriage had come to an end.

‘Everybody knew him, it is sad,’ they said. We didn’t know it was him initially but then word spread that it was him who fell off the bridge.

‘He had some sort of degenerative disease and the couple were in the process of splitting up.

‘He was going to move out and live with a few friends but for now they were living under the same roof. It is all such a shame.’

Most of those living on the quiet suburban street where Mr Smith and his family have lived in a pretty detached four bedroom house worth £350,000 for over a decade, as well as his colleagues were too stunned by the sudden death to speak.

Behind closed doors, however, many have raised questions about whether online groups that claim to expose predators are affecting the course of justice.

‘Whilst I think that paedophile hunters do a good job in exposing sexual predators, they do take the law into their own hands.

‘We will never truly know if Adrian was a paedophile because he was never charged and convicted in a court of law.

‘We have a judicial process in the UK where people are tried in court and innocent until proven guilty.

‘The vigilantes have acted as judge and jury in this case and Adrian has taken his life as a result.

‘They should not be live streaming his arrest until after a trial and someone is found guilty,’ one said.

‘Let the courts try the person and if they are found guilty then upload them.’

It is not the first time someone accused of paedophilia by online groups has taken their own life.

Nigel Sherratt, from Cannock, Staffordshire, took his own life after being confronted by paedophile hunters from the group Soul Survivors.

In a similar situation to Mr Smith, he allegedly engaged in ‘sexual content’ with a fictitious 14-year-old girl played by an adult member of the online group.

He was confronted on camera in a public car park by members of the group after agreeing to meet one posing as an adult woman.

Mr Sherratt was then shown the chat messages before being arrested by Staffordshire Police over potential communications with a child.

After being held overnight, he was released but his brother found him dead after overdosing on drugs on August 5 2018.

The online group was described as ‘judge, jury and executioner’ by Mr Sherratt’s sister Lynn Thacker

‘I sincerely doubt that suicide ever crossed Nigel’s mind until that day,’ Ms Thacker said giving evidence during the inquest.

‘If it was not for the unjust actions he would be alive today. My brother took his own life due to an altercation with this group.

‘Soul Survivors played judge, jury and executioner on that day to my brother. I know there was no evidence that my brother was guilty of what they accused him of.’

Michael Duff, 67, also took his life after being confronted online by paedophile hunters.

He was questioned by police after footage allegedly showing him attempting to meet a 15-year-old for sex was posted online by a paedophile vigilante group known as ‘True Justice’.

Mr Duff was questioned on suspicion of attempting to meet a girl under 16 following grooming and released on bail.

Two days later in July 2015, he was found dead at his home in Tyne and Wear.

Speaking to the BBC years later, his daughter Lesley Henderson, said: ‘My friend said, ‘look, I don’t really know how to say this to you Lesley, but there’s a video going round on Facebook – it’s your dad’.

‘It was on Facebook and I could already see that mutual friends had viewed it, so there was nothing I could do.’

After the allegations were made, Ms Henderson and her daughter did not speak to Mr Duff.

She said she will never know the truth behind the claims but worried that the online groups are hindering justice.

Following Mr Smith’s death, the group that exosed him – FUSE (finding untold secrets exposed) – communicated the situation to its followers.

‘We have been notified that Adrian Smith from Chipping Sodbury took his own life following his release from the police station on Saturday evening,’ the group said.

‘We will be taking the live video down from our page now and ask that everyone can allow his family to grieve in a respectful manner.

‘We exposed a pred and handed him to the police, we have no control over the choices made by him.’

While many of the followers said they had ‘no sympathy for him’ and ‘at least he can’t reoffend’ lots expressed thoughts for his family.

At the opening of Mr Smith’s inquest earlier this week, coroner’s officer Alexis Camp told an said he was identified by his fingerprints.

She said a post-mortem examination gave his cause of death as multiple injuries. Ms Camp added: ‘I understand there are no family concerns.’

Statements will be taken from Mr Smith’s doctor, his family and witnesses, with a full post-mortem report prepared for his full inquest hearing. Maria Voisin, senior coroner for Avon, provisionally listed Mr Smith’s inquest on June 11.

Following the death Avon and Somerset Police referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC), as is mandatory after a death occurs following police contact

A police spokeswoman said: ‘We understand this incident may be distressing for some people and we urge you to seek support should you need it.

‘You can speak with your GP or reach out to charities such as Mind and Samaritans, who offer support online and over the phone.

‘We would ask people not to speculate during this time and to respect the family’s privacy.’