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Web crackdown on paedophiles
12/10/2007 13:57 - (SA)
Paris - French police have detained more than 130 people accused of trading child pornography on the internet in the biggest crackdown yet against the online crime, a police officer said on Friday.
During an operation launched on Monday, police and paramilitary gendarmes identified 310 people thought to be swapping pornographic images and videos of pre-teen children online.
Colonel Jean-Frans Impini of the national gendarmerie said 132 men had been detained and that many more were expected to be arrested as part of operation "Rainbow".
"Their ages range from 19 to 70. They include businessmen, workers, employees, teachers, child care workers and military officials," said Impini.
More than 1.4 million photos and 27 000 videos have been seized, and a dozen judicial inquiries opened since the start of the operation, which mobilised some 330 officers across France.
Possession of pornographic material in France is an offence punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of €30 000 while those who engage in the distribution of such material can face up to five years in jail and a €75 000 fine.
- AFP
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