Police smash 'world's biggest paedophile ring' to rescue 230 child abuse victims

POLICE say they have rescued 230 child victims of abuse and arrested 184 suspects in a global investigation into a Dutch-based international pedophile ring thought to be the largest in the world.

European Union police agency Europol says the three-year investigation codenamed Operation Rescue identified and rescued children in more than 30 countries.

Europol director Rob Wainwright said the ring was based around an online forum and was "probably the largest online pedophile network in the world."

Police say the forum called boylover.net, based in Amsterdam, had up to 70,000 members.

More than 100 people have reportedly been arrested and around 60 children have been protected in the UK.