Interpol 'identify internet paedophile'

Updated 18.02 Mon Oct 15 2007

Keywords: paedophile, Interpol

Interpol believe they have identified a paedophile who was seen abusing young children in photographs posted on the internet.

The international police organisation released a picture of the English language teacher who flew from Seoul to Bangkok International Airport on Thursday, where his image was captured by security cameras.

The man's name, nationality, date of birth, passport number, and current and previous places of work have also been established, Interpol said.

The suspected child abuser was identified by five different sources from three continents as a man teaching English at a school in South Korea, Interpol said.

The man's name, nationality, date of birth, passport number, and current and previous places of work have also been established, Interpol said.

The man was pictured sexually abusing 12 different young boys in Vietnam and Cambodia in a series of around 200 images.

Interpol launched an international appeal, the first of its kind, to identify the man last Monday.

Although the original photographs were digitally altered by either the man or an accomplice to disguise his face, specialists in Germany, working with Interpol's Trafficking in Human Beings Unit, were able to produce an identifiable image of him.

The images show a white man, with dark, unkempt, receding hair. In one of the pictures he is wearing glasses and in another he is smiling.

It is thought the photographs were taken in 2002 or 2003.

Interpol secretary general Ronald Noble said: "Thailand is at the centre of an international manhunt, and authorities in the country, in cooperation with Interpol and police around the world, are hunting him down.

"The response and contribution we have had from the public has been remarkable, as has the support from the media, which has enabled officers in our specialised unit, our office in Bangkok and police in other member countries to make such remarkable progress in such a short space of time."

He said more than 350 people worldwide contacted the organisation in response to the appeal and called for the public's continued support to pinpoint the man's new location.