Operation Cathedral
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Operation Cathedral was the police operation that broke up an international child pornography ring called The Wonderland Club operating over the Internet in a police operation. It was led by the British National Crime Squad in cooperation with 13 other police forces around the globe,[1] who arrested 107 suspects across 12 countries on September 1, 1998. Seven UK-based men were convicted for their part in the ring in 2001.[2]
One reason for the high profile of the operation was the unusually high number of images involved possessed and produced and distributed by Wonderland Club: 750,000 images with 1,200 unique identifiable faces. Despite substantial work by many of the agencies involved only a very small number of those appearing in the images have been identified.
The investigation had been sparked by a tip-off from United States police investigating the rape of an eight year old girl broadcast live to pedophiles by webcam.[1] The international and highly organized nature of the ring has led to a much higher concern for the child sexual abuse that is child pornography.
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[edit] References
[edit] External links
[edit] The bust
- International team of police raids 'club' (U.S.)
- Wickedness of Wonderland (UK)
- Main Street Monsters (U.S.)