FBI's sting snares 7,000 paedophiles across Britain

The Sunday Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | 08/04/2002 | David Bamber

[Pokey78]

More than 7,000 British paedophiles have been snared in a sting operation by US authorities investigating two worldwide internet child pornography rings.

Detectives in Britain have been given the names and addresses of 7,272 Britons who used their credit cards to access pictures of under-age children, some as young as a few months old, engaged in sex acts.

Unbeknown to the paedophiles, the two sites which they were using had been seized last year by agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. British police now plan a series of raids on the suspects in what will be the country's largest paedophile investigation.

The Telegraph has learned that the National Criminal Intelligence Service, which co-ordinates use of intelligence against criminals in Britain, has already used the FBI information to organise the arrest of 36 paedophiles in May. Detectives now intend to swoop on many more offenders, all believed to be men, over the next few months.

Anyone who subscribed to the sites and viewed images faces a jail term of up to five years.

All of the paedophiles registered on the pay-per-view websites between May 1999 and September last year. Every customer had to provide an e-mail address and his credit card details: by return they were sent a username and password to enable them to log on to a paedophile site. In October, detectives in the US arrested the websites' owners and seized the database.

The FBI has raided hundreds of homes of subscribers in the US but has found difficulty in mounting prosecutions because the American definition of possessing indecent internet pornography is much laxer than that in British law.

Det Supt Peter Spindler of the National Crime Squad, who organised May's raid, confirmed that it would be the first of many in this country.

He said: "This is the first time we have targeted people who use the internet to buy images of children being sexually abused. We will continue these operations to protect children and show paedophiles that law enforcement agencies will find them, regardless of which area of the internet they use."

News of the investigation will heighten concerns about the levels of paedophile activity in Britain, highlighted by the murder in 1999 of eight-year-old Sarah Payne and the campaign for a "Sarah's Law", which would reveal the whereabouts of child abusers.

Carole Howlett, the Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, who has led the campaign against child abuse on the internet, said that the investigation proved the extent of the problem.

"A lot more work needs to be done," she said. "There is no greater priority than the protection of children: it should become a ministerial priority and it should be a priority of every policing plan in the country. We have a fair way to go."

[SandfleaCSC]

Hmmmm...let's recap shall we? The FBI sold an illegal service to foreign nationals for over three years and now will help put them behind bars in another country. Something about this just don't sound quite right.

[curmudgeonII]

It's probably a good thing to get after these kiddie porn types, but I would think that the FBI has its hands full with trying to take care of this country's problems first, instead of getting after crime in a different hemisphere.

[yendu bwam]

It's just cooperation between countries in order to protect children. It's a good and needed thing.

[SamAdams76]

Not that I don't want to see pedophiles prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law but I feel a little uncomfortable about this kind of prosecution. What if a pedophile obtained my ISP sign-on and posed as me to open an account with a pedophile site? Most pedophiles probably don't want to use their real names so there must be some kind of black market out there for legit sign-on IDs and passwords, just as there is a black market for calling card numbers and credit card numbers.

Furthermore, if somebody in the government wanted to "ruin" a political enemy, all they would have to do is break into that persons home and "plant" child porn on their computer. Then an anonymous tip will bring the cops crashing their door down and how could you possibly defend yourself against that?

[Jubal Harshaw]

It's bad enough that our taxes are used to enforce another country's laws. The real problem IMHO is the unstated tit-for-tat. The FBI did this for the Yard; what does the FBI get in return? Foreign police officers in the US who conduct searches unencumbered by the 4th Amendment? Police operations in the US that will never be subjected to Congressional oversight? What?

[Red Jones]

bump

[Vidalia]

"...Anyone who subscribed to the sites and viewed images faces a jail term of up to five years."

They'll get a slap on the bummy and sent home after writing a letter promising not to do it again.

What do you expect the Brits to do after the Horrid Sentencing they gave to the teenaged Ripper/Vampire?
...and THIS freak will serve at least 12 years...(what, maybe 14 or 15?)

"Nationalist-Socialism is dangerous to children and all living things!"

Gee, where have we heard something similar to that before...?

[Servant of the Nine]

The line between a 'Sting' and 'Entrapment' is way too thin for our law enforcement people to be walking. This kind of stuff needs to be stopped, even if it does make catching perverts harder.

So9

[AAABEST]

So The FBI has a stock of kiddie porn pictures that they look at themselves, then entice "take a look" at them and when they do they arrest them.

If the act of viewing a kiddie porn picture is a crime we should arrest every single person who does it, including the pervert FBI agents.

[4Freedom]

The FBI had subscribers from all over the world on it's kiddie porn website.

The FBI went after the American subscribers and gave the lists of names of the other subscribers to their respective countries.

The other governments may or may not do something with their lists.

The FBI has this monster's overseas customer list and will probably do the same thing with it.

Puerto Rico: Man may also face federal pornography charges

All this effort might just save a child's life.

If the British authorities are smart, whatever else they do, they should put these guys in their database, DNA and all.

That's how Avilla was nailed so fast.

[SandfleaCSC]

It's for the children after all

Horsepucky. I understand and share your sentiments about the crime and the perpetrators in this thread. My problem is that the FBI is generating, storing, and SELLING this crap which makes them just as complicit and guilty as your average pervert with a modem. You can beat someone to death with a Bible, but that doesn't assure you a place in heaven.

[4Freedom]

Please, these sick SOB's paid for pictures of an adult molesting a 4 month old.

[max61]

It's just cooperation between countries in order to protect children. It's a good and needed thing.

Yet another Socialist in denial.

---max

[max61]

Please, these sick SOB's paid for pictures of an adult molesting a 4 month old.

And the Fed's provided them what they wanted. Both should be in prison.

---max

[Crazymonarch]

If the FBI acquires a kiddy porn site its next responsibility is to close it down,surely they can track website traffic instead...lets see 7000 x 10-15 dollars,where did that go its certainly illegal proceeds.

[F16Fighter]

"My problem is that the FBI is generating, storing, and SELLING this crap which makes them just as complicit and guilty as your average pervert with a modem."

Oh horsesh*t! What kind of "bait" do you suggest using to nail these pervs -- a Cartoon Network link??

[sinkspur]

More merda from the libertarian curmudgeon of FR.

It is such a good thing that people like you can't set policy in this country.

[muawiyah]

Truly amazing how many folks we can surface who defend the right to look at kiddie porn.

Is someone taking down these names and matching names, etc.?

[4Freedom]

You'd need to find a jury of 12 that believed as you do.

Good luck.