[no subject]

Media helping paedophiles escape charges, say police
By Jason Bennetto Crime Correspondent
11 March 2003

Paedophiles among 6,500 suspects being investigated
for paying to watch child sex abuse on the internet
could escape prosecution because of the "reckless"
actions of the media, the head of the police operation
targeting them warned yesterday. Assistant Chief
Constable Jim Gamble, of the National Crime Squad, who
is running Britain's biggest police inquiry, codenamed
Operation Ore, fears that suspects tipped off by the
press may have already destroyed their computers and
other evidence.

Mr Gamble, in an interview with The Independent, also
disclosed that the Home Office is considering new laws
to allow the police to electronically monitor
convicted paedophiles to prevent them from using the
internet to access child pornography. Paedophiles who
break the proposed 24-hour "cyber" surveillance could
be jailed.

About 6,500 people are suspected of paying an
American-run website for access to photographs and
film of babies and children being sexually abused. So
far, 1,700 cases have been completed by the police.

But Mr Gamble is concerned that some of the remaining
4,800 suspects may escape justice. He said: "There is
a lot of reckless speculation by the media about who
may or may not be on the list. From the policing point
of view it can jeopardise our investigation."

The most famous person to be "outed" as an Ore suspect
by the press is Pete Townshend. The guitarist of the
band the Who has admitted using the illegal website
but insists it was for research purposes. He is
expected to be cautioned for the offence.

Mr Gamble also revealed he is in discussion with the
Home Office over proposals for greater monitoring of
what convicted paedophiles view and download from the
internet.

Mr Gamble said: "If you are a convicted paedophile we
will take certain measures to protect the public  our
view is if you have a propensity to commit this type
of behaviour we should be able to police your
activities in the real and cyber worlds. It's about
having the ability to monitor activities in an online
environment and we have put certain proposals to the
Home Secretary's advisory group."

* No action is to be taken against the former manager
of the Bay City Rollers. Tam Paton was arrested as
part of an investigation into allegations that he
abused an underaged boy in the late 1970s. Surrey
Police confirmed yesterday that Mr Paton would not be
charged. 


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