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MORE than 500 Australians could be implicated in the international crackdown on Internet child pornography, police said yesterday as the first of those arrested appeared in court. At least two men spoken to by police during the week were found dead yesterday - apparently after taking their own lives. Overall in Australia the investigation - called Operation Auxin - has led to about 200 people being charged, with about 2000 offences ranging from rape to possessing, publishing or procuring child pornography. Doctors, members of the armed forces, government officials, an assistant to a West Australian state MP, teachers, Queensland Police members and a former Adelaide man who owns three Melbourne child-care centres are among those charged. It also was revealed that the nation's big five banks, credit unions and credit companies worked with police to track down offenders using credit cards to access child porn. In further developments yesterday: PREMIER Mike Rann vowed to introduce the country's toughest child pornography laws in the country to Parliament within two weeks and said there were more than 40 South Australians under investigation. A WEST Australian man charged with child pornography offences was found dead at his home in the state's south-west. A VICTORIAN prison officer was found dead only hours after being questioned by detectives over his alleged involvement with child pornography. IT was disclosed a military doctor has oeen summonsed to appear in court after a computer hard drive was seized at his Canberra home. AN Army Major based in Adelaide was summonsed by police. TWO Western Australia school teachers were among the first of the men charged to face court - with one indicating his intention to plead guilty to one charge of supplying child pornography and one of possessing it. A SYDNEY school teacher appeared in court accused of setting up a video camera behind a change room mirror to film children undressing. Meanwhile in Melbourne, authorities tried to reassure the parents of children at three child-care centres owned by father-of-two Scott Thompson, 41, who said he would defend charges of child pornography. The centres are now up for sale. Police in Melbourne also said a primary teacher and an Anglican minister had been stood down by their employers and would face pornography charges. In Adelaide computer specialists yesterday continued to analyse material seized over the past week. Six men have been reported with additional charges expected to be laid after material on computers is identified and classified. More detail emerged yesterday on how Australian federal and state police joined forces with the US crime agencies to smash child pornography rings operating in every capital city. The US Customs Service passed "raw intelligence" to Australian agencies between January and March this year. Australian child pornography buyers were accessing 20 US websites who in turn bought material from an Internet company with links to the Russian Mafia in Minsk, Belarus. A number of the 500 people now being investigated used personal credit cards obtained from Australian banks to access "pay-per-view" child pornography websites. Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty warned yesterday he had a thick file of offenders on his desk and the round-up of predators had only just begun.... Adelaide Advertiser (2-10-2004) Luke McIlveen/ Ian Mcpherson/ Vivienne Oakley |
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