A 39-YEAR-OLD Gravesend man has been arrested as part of a global crackdown on an internet paedophile ring.

Kent Police seized his computer in the raid on Wednesday, November 28 at 8am, timed to coincide with 129 other arrests worldwide.

The man, who can not be named "to protect witnesses", was remanded in custody last week after appearing in court on initial charges of possessing four indecent photos and one indecent video-clip.

Serious Crime Squad investigators are sifting the hard drive of his computer and he will go before Dartford magistrates again on Friday, December 7.

Officers in Kent were passed details by the National Crime Squad, which had been monitoring internet newsgroups over a two-week period for Operation Landmark. Detectives from 19 countries simultaneously targeted the suspects accused of downloading and distributing child pornography via the internet.

Nearly all the images recovered were said to be of prepubescent children and babies. In Britain, 10 people were either arrested or had computer equipment taken by police.

The operation, the world's largest ever police collaboration, is the result of a 10-month investigation by the crime squad, which was set up in 1998 to investigate serious and organised crime in the UK and abroad.

December 4, 2001 11:51