Manosphere streamer Ed Matthews, 21, has reportedly been jailed after a livestreamed vigilante paedophile sting turned violent and he later breached a court order over the assault
Controversial ‘Manosphere’ streamer Ed Matthews has been jailed for attacking an alleged paedophile in a sting, it is reported. The TikTok personality, who featured in Louis Theroux’s Inside the Manosphere doc, streamed himself carrying out the assault.
He was fined £264 and slapped with community order by a court over the assault in June 2024, but has since breached it, court documents obtained by the Sun show.
Matthews, 24, was jailed for 12 weeks at Basildon Magistrates Court on August 19 due to his failure to comply with the order. His ’ streamer pals have since shared their outrage over his sentence in online posts.
Matthews was originally convicted of assault by beating and using threatening or abusive behaviour. He filmed confronting alleged predators as part of a group of so-called hunters.
The court heard Matthews helped set up online stings while posing as a 15 year old girl, operating under the name Predator Shredders. In one encounter, he livestreamed the confrontation, with footage said to show the target being cornered and assaulted.
In the original live-stream, Matthews ambushed the alleged paedophile and told him to eat an extremely spicy crisp or he would be arrested by the police.
Matthews wrestles the man to the ground and then holds him down in the video. The charge Matthews admitted covers unlawful force such as punching, shoving or kicking. Some confrontations also involved alleged humiliation tactics.
The man Matthews was convicted of beating is due to stand trial in 2028 for attempting to meet a child after grooming them. In an update, Matthews has now shared a recorded phone call message for his fans from prison.
In a video shared on his Instagram page, he says: “I’m on a peak bang up right now, 23 hours a day because I’m high profile. All alone in my cell. But guess what I’m grateful still, something I was preaching in Africa. I love you man. I’m good.
I’m going to go so much f***ing harder when I come out with these streams. I’m so motivated. I’m getting treated like a f***ing murderer and that predator is walking free. The system is f****d.” He told his followers to turn up to his next court date in September.
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