74-year-old Ipswich man caught in worldwide child porn inquiry is given police caution
Indecent images found on pensioner's laptop - Credit: PA
A 74-year-old Ipswich man whose name was given to Suffolk detectives as part of a worldwide inquiry has been given a caution for child pornography.
The man was one of 18 people thought to live in Suffolk who were suspected of making, possession or distributing indecent images of children.
They were among 2,345 names of British nationals originally discovered by police in Toronto, Canada, as part of a three-year child exploitation investigation before being passed on to the National Crime Agency (NCA).
The NCA was subsequently criticised for holding on to the information for 14 months before handing it out to police forces across the country.
Operation Spade, as it is known in the UK, has led to hundreds of arrests across the world. These came after officers had traced an internet connection to a man who was running an exploitation movie production and distribution company from a Toronto address.
Police have said the 74-year-old from Ipswich was arrested late last year before being bailed by police.
He was cautioned when he returned to answer his bail on Tuesday after the matter had been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service for a decision on whether to charge him or not.
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Although no specific details have been revealed about the nature of the images found on his computer, it is understood they were not those classified in most serious categories of such material.
Anne-Marie Breach, a spokeswoman for Suffolk Constabulary, said: “A 74-year-old man has received a caution for making indecent images of children on or before October 29, 2014, in Ipswich. The images were found on a laptop.”
Police have stressed that any decision about prosecution is made on the merits of the case and whether it is considered to be in the public interest.
Among the other names from Operation Spade which were given to Suffolk police was that of Dr Myles Bradbury, of Herringswell, near Bury St Edmunds.
The 41-year-old was jailed for 22 years after he admitted abusing 18 boys while worked as a paediatric consultant haematologist at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge.
