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New Zealand is one of 35 countries at the centre of a global paedophile ring smashed by an international police operation at the weekend.
The internet ring, that broadcast live-streamed videos of child abuse, investigated more than 700 suspects worldwide and rescued 31 children during a 10-month probe.
Police spokesman Jon Neilson said today New Zealand police were involved in the operation, which is being led by police in Britain.
He would not comment on whether any of the suspects or the children rescued in the operation were New Zealanders, but said the inquiry was in its early days and no arrests had been made.
Detective senior sergeant Neil Holden, the national adult sexual assault and child abuse coordinator, added: "We are constantly getting information from overseas that sees us investigating New Zealanders but I'm not in a position to comment on this investigation because of where the international inquiry is at."
The British Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, a government agency, said about 200 suspects were in Britain, and more than half of those were already being prosecuted.
Canada, the United States and Australia were Britain's main partners in the operation.
The internet-based paedophile ring was uncovered during an investigation which led to a chat room called 'Kids the Light of Our Lives', featuring streaming of live videos of children being abused.
The host of the chat room, Timothy David Martyn Cox, 27, of Buxhall, eastern England, who used the online identity 'Son of God', was sentenced to an indeterminate jail sentence on Monday at an English court.
Cox had pleaded guilty to nine counts of possessing and distributing indecent images, authorities said.
His sentence means he will remain in prison until authorities determine he is no longer a threat to children.
The international probe began in August 2006 after Canadian officials -- conducting their own long-running paedophile investigation -- tipped off British police about about a possible link.
A Canadian official said authorities there have arrested 24 Canadians and rescued seven Canadian children since late 2005.
US immigration and customs authorities joined the operation in December.
Authorities said the investigation was not linked to the widely publicised disappearance of Madeleine McCann, a 4-year-old British girl who vanished nearly two months ago in southern Portugal.
- NZPA, NZ HERALD STAFF
