Paedophiles found guilty of offences against children

7th May 2009

Sky News reports that eight men in a paedophile ring in Scotland have been found guilty of serious sexual offences against children. It appears that the gang members came to the attention of the authorities through their explicit internet chats about sexual assaults on children.

The conviction of groups of paedophiles is far less common than the conviction of individuals. What seems to have been key to the conviction of these men, was the discovery of thousands of indecent images of children, some of them showing assaults on children.  At least one of the men appears to have befriended families in order to access their children.

Sections 45 to 51 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 now deal with indecent photography of children (including those aged 16 or 17).

See Sky News 7 May 2009