Scot arrested in child porn probe

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Three properties have been raided in Scotland as part of a global crackdown on child pornography.

More than 90 people in eight countries have so far been arrested in connection with a website selling tailor-made videos of abuse.

One raid was carried out in Grampian and two in Strathclyde where a 59-year-old man has been charged.

European police force Europol said the Italian-based website had 2,500 customers in 19 countries.

The images were mainly made in the Ukraine, Belgium and the Netherlands and most of the victims were Ukrainian.

Police are currently inspecting computers and disks seized from the properties in Strathclyde and Grampian.

Europol said more than 40 of the arrests were made in Britain.

Police have confiscated thousands of computers, videos and photographs in their investigation, called Operation Koala.

The investigation began in July 2006, when police in Australia found a video on the internet showing an adult abusing two young girls.

'Tailor made'

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.

The names of 2,500 customers were recovered from his computer.

An analyst for Europol, Menno Hagemeijer, said that the customers came from many different countries and all walks of life.

"They are from all layers of society. We have identified schoolteachers, swimming instructors, lawyers, IT specialists," he said.

Mr Hagemeijer said the videos had been "tailor made", with customers ordering specific acts to be performed by specific children.

In some cases the children had been made to hold a piece of paper with the customer's name on, like a "personal trophy", Mr Hagemeijer said.

A total of 23 children aged between nine and 16 who were shown being abused have been identified. Of those, 21 are from Ukraine and two from Belgium.

European prosecutors have stressed that the operation is still ongoing and there are likely to be further arrests.