Internet child porn blitz launched

Police today launched a lightning blitz on suspected Internet paedophiles.

They raided dozens of addresses across the UK in a dawn operation co-ordinated across 34 police forces and seized computers believed to contain images of child abuse.

In the biggest operation of its kind ever in the UK, officers with warrants searched 75 addresses in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and several arrests were made.

Among those targeted included teachers, care workers and people working in the medical profession, said police.

The youngest was 15 and the eldest 50.

The crackdown, codenamed Operation Magenta, was part of a six-month investigation under the Protection of Children Act.

It focused on paedophiles who used Internet chatrooms to advertise and exchange images of children being abused.

The operation was led jointly by officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary's child protection and investigation unit and Greater Manchester Police's abusive images unit.

Later the Metropolitan Police said six men were arrested in London as part of Operation Magenta.

They were arrested under Section 1 of the Protection of Children Act at their home addresses following searches. Computer equipment was recovered from the addresses.

Two other addresses were searched, however there were no arrests.

Staffordshire Police said that a 21-year-old man was helping police with their inquiries after computer equipment was seized at an address in Stafford.

The man was due to be questioned in connection with Operation Magenta.

West Midlands Police said two men were arrested after computer equipment was seized at separate addresses in the region.

One man was arrested in Dudley and another was held in the Kings Heath area of Birmingham.

In Dyfed Powys, four men were arrested and a number of computers were seized after two warrants were executed in the area as part of Operation Magenta.

A spokesman said the men were currently being held at Carmarthen Police Station.

In South Wales, a 42-year-old man from the Merthyr area and a 29-year-old man from Rhondda Cynon Taff were arrested after two warrants were executed.

And a 17-year-old man was being held at a police station in Caerphilly after being arrested by Gwent Police officers taking part in the operation.

Police used specially developed software to track web users who were visiting Internet chatrooms to exchange the shocking images.

Detective Inspector Terry Jones of Greater Manchester Police, told a press conference in Stevenage, Hertfordshire: "This operation involves joining forces to target people who have gone on to the Internet to download and exchange child abuse images."

He said Operation Magenta was born out of an investigation into Internet child porn 18 months ago.

It pinpointed 44 people across the UK with "interesting profiles", said Mr Jones.

"These included some disturbingly young people including a 13-year-old, and a scoutmaster who we then discovered had been abusing a child for four years."

He added: "We are really doing it to explore their lives and see if they are doing it to real kids."

Detective Inspector Keith Tilley, of Hertfordshire Constabulary added that as a result of the operation 18 months ago - Operation Appal - his force had searched the house of a man who had been abusing his 11-year-old daughter.

"He did admit that the Internet started him on that path, so there's a clear danger from the Web," he said.

Giving details of today's raids, Mr Tilley said of officers: "They are looking for computers in those premises. But what we are also mindful of is that potentially there could be a child at risk of abuse.

"We will not be leaving those premises until we are satisfied those children are safe."

He said risk assessments were being carried out in conjunction with social workers."

Mr Tilley said the raids today had included home and business addresses.

Where computers had been traced to places of work, officers were now trying to establish who was responsible for any image found on their hard disks.

He said those arrested came from a broad spectrum of society and were "not your stereotypical dirty old man in a mac".

One was a 15-year-old boy from Cleveland and another was a 17-year-old in Hertfordshire.

He said: "It's very disturbing. Why does a 15-year-old need to go into chatrooms knowing that there are people of a like-minded interest exchanging images."

He said a teacher from south Wales was among those arrested, along with people from variety of backgrounds, including students and a car-park attendant.

Mr Jones said instances of Internet child porn found on people's computers had risen from "a dozen" in 1995 to 41,000 in 1999 in the Greater Manchester police area alone.

He said: "The Internet has made child abuse images commonplace.

"We are getting a new insight into what's going on behind closed doors and it's very disturbing.

"There's an awful lot of activity in relation to Internet paedophiles."

Two men were arrested and computers seized in four raids in the Greater Manchester area.

A 21-year-old man was arrested following a raid in Tameside and a 49-year-old man was arrested at an address in North Manchester.

Computers were seized in both raids, as well as at an address in Oldham and as part of a second warrant executed in Tameside, a spokesman added.