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FOUR men committed suicide after being investigated for possessing child pornography, the Federal Government confirmed yesterday as it warned more arrests would be made this week. A former Queensland policeman- a Victorian prison officer, another Victorian man and a West Australian electrician were found dead after being interviewed by police over child pornography allegations. Justice Minister Chris Ellison described the deaths as regrettable but vowed they would not deter Australia's biggest crackdown on child porn. "It's regrettable that four people, the subject of charges, have taken their own lives," he said. "But this investigation is an extremety important one in dealing with criminal activity which deals with the violation of innocent children. This will not deter, in any way, the investigation." Senator Ellison said as many as 700 people were being investigated in relation to child pornography allegations and predicted up to 500 could be charged. He said more arrests would be made this week and anyone convicted of online child pornography faced 10 years' jail, while someone found stalking a child on the Internet could be jailed for up to 15 years. More than 200 people have already been charged following raids on users of internet child porn websites in the former Soviet republic of Belarus. Credit card details proved the vital link in cracking the child pom Internet ring. Queensland police confirmed an officer committed suicide on September 3 during the first phase of Operation Auxin- the name given to the crackdown. Victorian police said two men had been found dead after being interviewed about child pornography - one of the men was a prison officer at the Fulham Correctional Centre, near Sale. West Australian electrician Kim Della-Vedova, 46, of Australind in the state's south-west, was found dead at his house yesterday. His body was discovered by a friend after he failed to appear at the Bunbury Court of Petty Sessions on three charges of possessing child pornography. "I can understand the pressure that these individuals are under but the victims that we're dealing with here are innocent children and this is a very serious matter." Senator Ellison said. "There will be further arrests and of course those who are convicted could face periods of imprisonment." Federal Police will release a pedophile personality profile next year to help the public identify predators. Australian Hi Tech Crime Centre chief, Federal Agent Mike Phelan, said a team of specialists was expected to complete a report this year. "The research is being carried out by police, statistics and educational bodies, psychiatric consultants and some of us," Agent Phelan said. "We will also be looking at information from other experts in the field and the report will be made public to a assist people to identify child - predators." In the meantime, parents should remain on guard but not panic, he said. "It's timely that parents take this opportunity to educate themselves about the dangers to kids." Sunday Mail (3-10-2004) Sharon Mathison/ Marnie O'Neill |
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