SKY NEWS - BREAKING NEWS - PEDOPHILE RING BUSTED

Police Smash Paedophile Ring
Updated: 13:47, Monday June 18, 2007 - UK TIME ZONE

Police have smashed a global internet paedophile ring and rescued 31 children from abuse.
Some of the vile sex attacks were shown live online.

Around 700 suspects - 200 from the UK - were identified in 35 countries during the 10 month operation but some are still being pursued.

Offenders used a web chatroom called Kids The Light Of Our Lives to swap photos and videos of horrific abuse.

Sky News Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said it could well be the biggest internet paedophile operation ever mounted in the UK.

It was led run by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. Its CEO, Jim Gamble, said: "As predators become increasing sophisticated in their use of the Internet for exploiting young people, so too do the techniques we use to detect them.

"We will continue to work alongside local police forces and our law enforcement partners worldwide, to track and prosecute those who prey on young victims and to protect greater numbers of children from harm."

Ringleader Timothy Cox, 27, from Buxhall, near Stowmarket, will be sentenced later today.

He used the online identity Son of God and hosted the network.

Police found 75,960 indecent and explicit images on his computer and evidence he had supplied 11,491 images to other site users.

Cox admitted nine counts of possessing or distributing images of children.

More to follow...