Paedophile ring smashed by police

[Square Ball]

Police have smashed a global child abuse network which was co-ordinated through a UK-based internet site.
Global agencies, led by UK investigators, examined more than 700 suspects, including 200 in the UK.

The ring was run by Timothy Cox, 28, of Buxhall, Suffolk, who admitted nine offences and has been handed a sentence which could mean he dies in jail.

A judge at Ipswich Crown Court told Cox: "You are obsessed with images of children being sexually abused."

Chatroom infiltration

Cox ran a website called "Kids the Light of Our Lives" which let users exchange abuse images, the court heard.

Judge Peter Thompson told Cox: "These are shocking images which involve very young children - in the worst cases being subjected to sadistic, painful abuse which you, for some distorted reason, appear to take enjoyment from."

  Anybody who thinks they can carry out such horrific activities undetected is in for a rude awakening

Jim Gamble
CEOP

More than 75,000 indecent and explicit images were found on Cox's computer and there was evidence that he had supplied more than 11,000 images to other site users.

Cox pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing indecent images of children at an earlier hearing and was handed an indeterminate sentence.

Cox posed "significant risks", the judge said, and had to be imprisoned for "for public protection".

Under the terms of his sentence, he must satisfy the authorities that he is fit for release and does not pose any threat to the community before he can ever be set free.

Ian Robertson, of the UK-based Child Exploitation and Online Protection centre (CEOP), told BBC News 24 that the ages of the children whose images were exchanged on the site ranged from babies to teenagers.

After he was arrested in September 2006, undercover officers spent 10 days infiltrating the chatroom, assuming his identity to collect evidence about other users.

When Cox was arrested, undercover officers placed a message online saying he had gone for his tea and would be back in half an hour to avoid raising suspicions.

As many as 70 online paedophiles were waiting to download images of abuse.

Investigators from the Australian Federal Police, the US Department of Homeland Security and Toronto Police took part in the online surveillance operation.

In total, 31 children were saved as a result of the investigation, CEOP said.

Cox lived with his parents, sister and 26-year-old girlfriend in a large farmhouse and worked at the family's micro-brewery. The website was operated from his bedroom.

CEOP said Cox hosted the website using the pseudonym "Son of God" - a reference to "G.O.D", the online identity of the owner of another paedophile site shut down by police last year.

The court heard Cox spotted a "gap in the market" after the other site was closed.

Simon Spence, prosecuting, told the court: "For what must have been hours at a time he was online either viewing these images of children, arranging the chat room or communicating with other paedophiles."

'Horrific activities'


Canadian police passed intelligence about the site to UK investigators

Jim Gamble of CEOP said his capture "sends a powerful warning to those using the internet to facilitate the sexual exploitation of children".

He added: "From the apparent 'safety' of his home, Cox spent hours each day planning, promoting and encouraging the abuse and exploitation of children.

"In doing so he provided a service to hundreds of like-minded individuals, enabling those with a sexual interest in children to share indecent images and discuss further plans for abuse.

"Anybody who thinks they can carry out such horrific activities undetected is in for a rude awakening."

Cox had been identified after intelligence connecting the site to the UK was passed to CEOP by Canadian investigators.

Detective Constable Stefan Jochan said: "He doesn't fit any kind of traditional image of paedophile. He had a veneer of respectability."

The investigation uncovered another member of the same ring, Gordon Mackintosh from Hertfordshire, who attempted to keep the website going after Cox was arrested.

Mackintosh, 33, used the names "silentblackheart" and "lust4skoolgurls". More than 5,000 images were found on his computer as well as 392 indecent movie files.

He pleaded guilty to 27 charges of making, possessing and distributing the material and is due to be sentenced on June 29.



Everyone of these sick bastards should be made to die a slow and painful death, a prison sentence is too good, feck it shoot the fecking lot of them

[ziggysego]

I'm glad something's been done about these sick f**kers.

[Syd]

He should get his balls cut off and shoved down his f**king throat the sick ****.

[stew]

In China they would put a bullet in his head and bill his family for the bullet!

The heart says he should get kicked to death, the heads says he should be locked up for life with no chance of getting out but this is one disgusting sc**bag and I hope he sufferes for what remains of his life.

[GweylTah]

The  BBC (and RTE) were speaking to one of the parishioners outside the Catholic Church in Roslea where the priest convicted in Liverpool of aiding a paedophole last week ministered, and she said she forgives him, as that's the Christian thing to do.

Is she in denial? Doesn't think a priest, especially her priest, would or could do such things?  Or was she simply being true to her Christian convictions?

[stew]

The  BBC (and RTE) were speaking to one of the parishioners outside the Catholic Church in Roslea where the priest convicted in Liverpool of aiding a paedophole last week ministered, and she said she forgives him, as that's the Christian thing to do.

Is she in denial? Doesn't think a priest, especially her priest, would or could do such things?  Or was she simply being true to her Christian convictions?

As a parent she is entitled to forgive or not forgive someone who damaged forever her child, she may well have ben in denial or simply a person who would forgive anyone anything based on her beliefs, if the latter is the case she is some woman because I dont think I could do it.

I seem to recall reading about Kincora and how families reacted to that debacle, there was some forgiving going on in that case as well but they are better people than me, I couldnt do it and I would be out to kill the fcuker that harmed my child, I cannot imagine the pain that family must be in, especially if their spiritual advisor was aiding the sc**bag that committed the crime.

[GweylTah]

She was simply an ordinary (probably 60-something) parishoner, asked by the reporter if she forgave the priest.

I agree it's not her place to forgive the priest, as he hadn't directly or even indirectly harmed her or hers, but this is the Christian dilemma.  Where does the teaching of forgiveness cross-over into absolution and possible excusing of criminal behaviour?

[ExiledGael]

She could only speak for herself but she was wronged by the priest.
She was obviously a regular mass goer, probably helped out with various parish functions etc, and was being lied to all along by McGrath while he was harbouring an already convicted paedo in the village, right next to a school.
He lived a total lie as a priest there, though was not convicte of sexual abused, so he would have caused her quite a lot of anguish.
Of course she can forgive him for that, though not for what he inflicted on the poor victim in all this.
Think she was being loyal to her Christian morals

As for the story at the top, one of the most disgusting things I've heard in my life.
A bullet is too kind to these people, in fact there is no appropriate punishment, jail is also too good for him.
Castration, followed by years and years of hammerings in some dirty hole of a prison, and never ever allowed to take the easy way out (suicide)

[his holiness nb]

She was simply an ordinary (probably 60-something) parishoner, asked by the reporter if she forgave the priest.

I agree it's not her place to forgive the priest, as he hadn't directly or even indirectly harmed her or hers, but this is the Christian dilemma.  Where does the teaching of forgiveness cross-over into absolution and possible excusing of criminal behaviour?

A f**ker of a dilemma alright.
I think the "absolution" would come more so from a true confession and true repentance rather than have someone else forgive you.
But only spiritual absolution.
Whatever happens spiritually, the law of the land should also apply in full.

Well done to the police on this one by the way.