International Child Sexual Abuse Investigation

OTTAWA – October 16, 2007 – On October 8, 2007, Interpol issued an international plea for assistance in identifying a man who appears in photographs of child sexual abuse that were posted on the Internet. The suspect identified by Interpol is now of interest to Canadian authorities.

The RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre (NCECC), along with its many partners, including Interpol, has been actively involved in this investigation since 2004. Despite mounting evidence linking the same individual to international incidents of sexual abuse of young boys, his identity could not be confirmed.

Interpol’s decision to seek the public’s assistance led to several hundred tips. Interpol has noted that some of these tips enabled the investigation to move forward.

Decisions to release information on ongoing investigations are made with care, balancing the needs of the investigation with the importance of protecting children against abuse.

As the Canadian coordination centre for international and national Internet sexual abuse investigations, the NCECC works closely with Interpol and its others partners on hundreds of other cases.

“Unfortunately, this case is one of many where children are being sexually exploited and their images posted to the Internet,” said Supt. Earla-Kim McColl, Officer in Charge of the NCECC. ”The primary concern of the NCECC is to identify and locate victims of abuse and ensure that perpetrators are no longer free to continue their harmful activities.”

The trail of child sexual exploitation crosses many jurisdictions and requires partners to work together to create the links that help to identify perpetrators.

The RCMP and the NCECC are continuing to work with partners in Canada and abroad on this file.

Anyone with information on the suspect’s current whereabouts is requested to contact their local police, the RCMP or Interpol via operationvico@interpol.int.

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RCMP Media Relations
(613)993-2999