Tuesday 30 October 2007 1500 (GMT)
British man arrested in Thailand on child sexual abuse offences
A 39 year old British man has been arrested in Thailand today following a joint operation by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre and the Royal Thai Police (RTP).
The man was arrested for offences including transmission of obscene material and malicious internet use.
The arrest forms part of an ongoing investigation initiated when in 2003 the man breached his notification requirements under the sex offenders register. Intelligence reports received in August 2007 indicated that the man had fled to Thailand and may be a risk to children.
CEOP’s Overseas Tracker Team picked up the case and a joint operation was launched alongside the Royal Thai Police – one of a number of collaborative programmes currently running in partnership with the RTP to deter and prevent British nationals travelling to South East Asia to abuse children. Other initiatives include delivering training courses, intelligence sharing and targeted operations against other suspects.
Jim Gamble, Chief Executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre, said:
This arrest is the culmination of a complex and dynamic enquiry across national and international borders. Child sex offenders who think that they can evade justice by travelling abroad should take note – CEOP’s international partnerships mean that there is no hiding place: every child matters, everywhere.
Ends
Notes to Editors
1. CHILD ABUSE IMAGES, NOT ‘CHILD PORNOGRAPHY’
Use of the phrase ‘child pornography’ actually benefits child sex abusers:
- It indicates legitimacy and compliance on the part of the victim and therefore legality on the part of the abuser
- It conjures up images of children posing in ‘provocative’ positions, rather than suffering horrific abuse
Every photograph captures an actual situation where a child has been abused. This is not pornography.
2. TRAVELLING CHILD SEX OFFENDER, NOT ‘SEX TOURIST’
Travelling child sex offenders seek to offend against the world’s most vulnerable children in the hope that they will evade detection and prosecution.
The phrase ‘sex tourism’ sanitises the reality of what is taking place. The ‘sex’ is forced, therefore it is rape. The word ‘tourism’ implies sun, sea and sand when frequently children are sought in the most deprived areas of the world.
3. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre works in both online and offline environments to protect children from sexual exploitation. Full information on all areas of work, as well as online safety messages and access to online reporting, can be found at www.ceop.gov.uk.
4. The CEOP Centre is affiliated to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and powers are derived from the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. It is based in Pimlico, London with developing outreach channels to all areas of both domestic and international policing. Specialist faculties are dedicated to operations, intelligence, education and victim identification.
5. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre is a member of the Virtual Global Taskforce. Other members include the Australian Federal Police, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Interpol. Further information is available at www.virtualglobaltaskforce.com.
For further information please contact the Communications Team at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre on 0870 000 3434.