This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/7079763.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 2 | Version 3 |
---|---|
Irish held in child porn inquiry | |
(about 15 hours later) | |
Eight people from Ireland - three from NI and five from the Republic - have been arrested in a police inquiry into a global paedophile ring. | |
The PSNI is one of 20 police forces involved in an investigation into an Italian-based website which sold home-made videos of sex abuse. | The PSNI is one of 20 police forces involved in an investigation into an Italian-based website which sold home-made videos of sex abuse. |
Already, 92 people have already been detained across eight countries. | |
The films were mainly produced in Ukraine, Belgium and the Netherlands and most of the victims were Ukrainian. | |
Twenty-three children aged between nine and 16 who were shown being abused have been identified. | Twenty-three children aged between nine and 16 who were shown being abused have been identified. |
According to the European police force, Europol, the network created videos tailor-made to order of children being abused and sold them to 2,500 customers in 19 countries. | |
The arrests included not only the network's operators but also its clients who viewed the explicit images. | The arrests included not only the network's operators but also its clients who viewed the explicit images. |
Europol analyst Menno Hagemeijer said they had tracked down large numbers of people who had paid to see the videos and photos. | Europol analyst Menno Hagemeijer said they had tracked down large numbers of people who had paid to see the videos and photos. |
He said pictures were found of children being forced to hold a piece of paper with the name of a ring member. | |
In the Republic of Ireland, five searches were carried out during the summer and a number of seized computers are undergoing forensic examination. | In the Republic of Ireland, five searches were carried out during the summer and a number of seized computers are undergoing forensic examination. |
The investigation began in July 2006, when police in Australia found a video on the internet showing an adult abusing two young girls. | The investigation began in July 2006, when police in Australia found a video on the internet showing an adult abusing two young girls. |
The girls were identified by police in Belgium and the offender, their father, was arrested. | The girls were identified by police in Belgium and the offender, their father, was arrested. |
He in turn led investigators to the producer of the video, an Italian man who operated in Belgium and the Netherlands but also owned a studio in Ukraine. | He in turn led investigators to the producer of the video, an Italian man who operated in Belgium and the Netherlands but also owned a studio in Ukraine. |