22 Dec 2015

Children safeguarded after Kiwis caught in porn probe

7:03 pm on 22 December 2015

A detective who helped bust an international child porn ring says four New Zealand children have been safeguarded as a result.

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Photo: 123rf.com

Three New Zealand men have been convicted as part of the 18 month FBI-led sting, which has led to the rescue of 31 children worldwide.

The head of the OCEANZ police unit, Detective Senior Sergeant John Michael, said officers kept a close eye on the children the men were connected to.

"That's what we did in this particular case - we looked at those four children that were linked to the person being investigated to ensure that they weren't the victims of sexual abuse. The investigation that police carried out found there was no evidence they were being abused, and so therefore those children have been safeguarded now as a result of that police intervention."

The three men faced charges of distributing and possessing objectionable publications.

They were arrested among 48 individuals identified worldwide during the operation, while 31 children have also been rescued from abusive situations, including four children from this country, the police said.

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