Eltham: A transatlantic police hunt for the perverts behind a sickening paedophile web-ring has resulted in the arrest of a 26-year-old Eltham man.

The electrician, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is alleged to have been a key player in the Shadowz Brotherhood, which broadcast child rape live on the internet.

He was arrested at home by a combined team of Europol and Scotland Yard specialists for his involvement in the sex crimes, which went further than anything seen before by law enforcement agencies.

His arrest was the result of 46 raids on homes across Europe and the USA in Operation Twins, which used state-of-the-art technology to smash open the network.

Detective Chief Superintendent Len Hynds, of the UK National Hi-tech Crime Unit, said: "In terms of the material being posted, it is the worst I have ever encountered."

The Shadowz Brotherhood club operated by recruiting visitors from other paedophile sites, who were then given a "one-star" rating.

Once a member, the perverts were expected to contribute their own pictures to the club. They could then work their way up through the organisation, eventually becoming five-star "administrators" the hard core of criminals who acted as the guardians of the sex-ring.

The administrators governed and controlled the most depraved parts of the website and would work 24-hour days pouring over new images and material submitted.

The site has been likened by police to a castle, with access to the dungeon areas restricted to premium' members.

It was there the perverts could view the most disgusting material, including babies being molested and young children being tortured.

When making the raids police seized a large number of CD-Roms, videos, computers and lap-tops.

All those arrested are implicated in the distribution and the production of the pornography.

The investigation began 12 months ago after Swedish police were made aware of the conspiracy. They contacted the National Criminal Intelligence Service who then uncovered the British involvement.

Following the raids, Europol's serious crime chief Gilles Leclair pledged to continue to work to bring those involved in the sickening activities to justice, adding: "Child pornography constitutes a disgrace of human dignity."

The Eltham man, who was released on police bail until September, has not yet been charged as police continue to analyse the evidence found at his home. The investigation could take months to complete.

July 10, 2002 10:30