Italian prosecutors have charged 831 suspects in Italy with
offering or downloading child pornography and, using the lure of a
fake web site, put a further 660 European, American and Malaysian
individuals under investigation in the biggest case of its kind.
They also issued an international warrant for the arrest of a
Russian suspected of heading the paedophile ring responsible for
the material.
A fake child pornography web site was set up by Italian
authorities working with Microsoft called “amantideibambini”, or
loversofchildren. It took registrations from 660 individuals,
despite clear warnings about what the site would contain. These
individuals are now under investigation. In addition, six hundred
homes in Italy were searched in connection with possession and
trade in child pornography, all of it from Russia.
According to the lead Italian prosecutor, most of those arrested
in Italy will avoid custodial sentences if they co-operate with the
court.
