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LONDON - British police have so far arrested 46 members of a global paedophile ring that produced tailor-made videos of children being abused.
Officers from 22 police forces across the country have been involved in the arrests, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre said.
More arrests are expected soon.
The CEOP has co-ordinated the UK response to "Operation Koala", a Europe-wide initiative aimed at prosecuting those involved in an Italian-based website.
The operation was launched last year after a child abuse video, made in Belgium, was discovered in Australia.
The sole producer of the material, a 42-year-old Italian man, was later arrested and found to be running a site over which he sold more than 150 self-made, sexually explicit videos of young girls.
Some "customers" travelled to his studio to watch and record the abuse.
One video depicted a father sexually abusing his nine and 11-year-old daughters.
The business had been running for 18 months and generated "considerable" profits from around 2500 customers worldwide, the CEOP said.
In June this year, Italian authorities disseminated customers' details to forces in other countries.
Jim Gamble, chief executive of the CEOP, said: "Operation Koala uncovered the true meaning of 'online child abuse': in this case, the exchanging of images in which real children were subjected to horrific sexual abuse, often to order."
- REUTERS
