WELLINGTON, Feb 5 – New Zealand police have rescued local four children aged between one and 13 years old from an international child sex abuse ring, Xinhua news agency reported. Police Online Child Exploitation Across New Zealand (OCEANZ) head Detective Senior Sergeant John Michael said a nationwide police operation was launched July last year targeting pedophiles in New Zealand and overseas.
“This abuse ring has got wider and wider and involves offenders here and overseas. Those facing charges have allegedly abused children, recorded that abuse and distributed it among themselves and overseas,” he said. OCEANZ officers said they have made 35 referrals of the sex abuse ring to member states of the Virtual Global Taskforce including Australia, the UK, US and Canada.
Three men appeared in courts around New Zealand on Tuesday on various charges, including sexual violation of children and making, possessing and distributing child abuse images.
BERNAMA
