UK sting operation uncovers alleged paedophile group

Published on Thursday 22 February 2007 11:52

A MASSIVE police operation has uncovered an alleged paedophile ring based in Britain with more than 300 members worldwide.

The London-based Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (Ceop) co-ordinated a global undercover "sting" which pinpointed alleged key suspects in the UK.

An undisclosed number of children were also rescued from alleged sexual abuse.

Officers from Britain, the US, Australia and Canada operated a shift system to infiltrate the suspected paedophile ring on the web.

Ceop chief executive Jim Gamble said: "There have been a number of arrests and a number of children rescued from abuse.

"We identified an online area used by individuals with a deviant interest in children - in my mind that's a paedophile ring. That was then infiltrated by us in conjunction with our international partners.

"We closed what we believe was a paedophile ring with in excess of 300 members. Principal suspects were in the UK."

The news comes as a major conference opens in Washington DC on the Virtual Global Taskforce, a joint initiative designed to ensnare online paedophiles across the globe.