Inquisition 21
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Child pornography
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1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11
Child porn is at the heart of our new sexual absolutism. Its laws have criminalized both artistic representation and objective intellectual examination and speculation.
Operations Ore and Amethyst are discredited
Only time will tell if justice will prevail, but already it is clear that Operations Ore and Amethyst are deeply flawed and are being discredited. Meanwhile thousands of innocent lives have been blighted, many destroyed.
Here is how it all began. Thanks are due to the webmaster of Madbadorsad who supplied this explanation when replying to an innocent man whose life had been almost ruined by Operation Ore in the UK.
It was the late 1990s and early 2000s. The hunt for the pedophiles is still on and the tabloids are feasting on it. Sarah's Law is under discussion and policeman Jim Gamble and his team in the UK receive a list of names of men who have used their credit cards to access the US Landslide site from the FBI. The UK criminal justice system authorizes investigations and raids.
US Lieutenant Bill Walsh, described as ‘the American detective leading the worldwide hunt for internet pedophiles’ warns the UK press about ‘high-level child sex rings in Britain’, and the media jump on the bandwagon with ‘kiddy sex ring alerts’. The reason for the high level was that Operation Ore had revealed ‘more professional people using the child porn sites in Britain than anywhere else in the world’.
Walsh was head of a Texas Internet child crimes task force called Operation Avalanche, the US branch of Operation Ore. When Landslide in Texas was raided, his team uncovered the credit card details of 250,000 computer users worldwide who paid to access the websites that could be reached through Landslide Productions.
The FBI passed the names of 7272 Britons to the UK police for investigation, the one with the highest profile being rock musician Peter Townshend. Walsh expressed his shock at the number of Britons identified as subscribers to child porn sites who held positions of power and influence. A judge in the UK and one in Ireland would later be accused. Rumours flew about MPs and numerous other influential people being on the list. Walsh claimed that 50 UK police were named.
The innocent man to whom the webmaster of madbadorsad.org was replying to with the above information was David, to whom he said at this point, “Your name, and those of others, were on that list. The vast machine started to turn its gears.”
David’s story
(David tells this story on the madbadandsad.org website.)
Like many of you here, I too was investigated by Operation Ore in late 2002. I have never paid to look at child pornography. Adult pornography, yes. If I’d known it would have caused me all the grief that it did then I absolutely would have avoided all adult pornography.
I have only recently discovered this forum on Operation Ore. For the last 18 months I had been thinking I was alone in my experiences regarding this disgracefully conducted investigation. Now I know differently. There are thousands of us in the UK alone, and who knows how many globally?
On December 2nd 2002 I went to work, just like I did on any other day. At around 8.15am, I received a call to go see my boss upstairs. Thinking he had a work related problem. Not so. I entered his office and a detective inspector introduced himself, stating that he was investigating an ‘allegation’ that I had ‘accessed’ an Internet site (in 1998). For a second I thought it was a joke, but soon realised otherwise. I asked who had made the allegation but he wouldn’t tell me. It dawned on me what the allegation was. A warrant (S18 I think the cops call them) was produced and I was taken from my place of work to my home. I was not arrested.
When we arrived at my home there were two more cars full of people waiting. I opened the door and they all came in, about seven or eight of them at least. They explained the warrant and told me I’d be required to give an interview at the station once the search was concluded. I was stunned by now and could only watch as these morons went through everything. They photographed all the upstairs rooms and made video also.
They found nothing.
They seized my PC, some CDs and floppy discs.
The interview that followed at the station was a horrible experience. I’d never been questioned before in my life and I was scared to death and intimidated, even though I knew I’d done nothing wrong. I declined a solicitor. The two cops had some documents with them, and I asked if I could see them. They let me, and I was able to conclude from what I saw and read that they had been watching my home. There was information on the documents that could only have been gathered by doing this. Pictures of the Landslide homepage were included with details of my credit card transaction.
I asked the officers the name of the website I had accessed (Editor – presumably through Landslide) and was surprised by the reply. He told me the site was called ‘xes.com’. Two days after the interview I went to an Internet café and looked up the domain to establish the owner. The Xerox Corporation had owned it since 1995. Where the (expletive deleted) did they get that from?
At the end of the interview I was told by the officers that they had been in touch with my employer and I was now suspended until the conclusion of the investigation. That was the worst part for me, or so I thought. (Editor – they also leaked his name to the media)
I got home around 5pm that evening and the house was empty. My wife should have been home but she wasn’t. I sank a few large drinks and then she came in and burst into tears. Those cop assholes had been waiting for her to arrive home from work. They knocked on the door and introduced themselves and she thought I had been in an accident, or worse. They took her to the police station and questioned her for an hour about who has access to the PC and a load of other crap. They scared the sh--- out of her. My wife knows me, and I explained to her why this had happened. She believed me. I’m glad she did as some wives would not. I also told her about my adult porn subscription.
13 months later I received a call from the detective inspector who carried out the investigation. They had found nothing. I knew that would be the outcome as I’d done nothing wrong.
I am now back at work since Jan 2004 and life is getting back to normal.
Not a day goes by when I don’t think about this.
There must be many more people out there who have had a similar experience. If you are innocent and you know you are then don’t worry. I contemplated suicide despite my innocence and was drinking way too much every day. In my favour though was an understanding employer and colleagues who haven’t judged me. I even told a few family members who were shocked at first but understood when I explained. Thank you to all of them.
Some short bits:
Why did the police lie about the ‘list’ and insist that everyone on it paid to view child porn when this was clearly not the case?
Why did they leak the list to the press and who gave authorization for that? (I think the cops used this whole thing as a funding booster, as did the IWF (Internet watch Foundation). So did all the bandwagon jumping charities that were present at every TV report on Operation Ore - money grabbers!
Why are there no official statistics on the Operation Ore investigation? I can’t find any.
I have much more on my mind but I will end here. (Almost). The witch hunt continues, and is still unearthing far more innocents than guilty parties. One day the truth will out and the schemers will be named. Don’t forget that the Freedom of Information Act comes into effect Jan 2005. Maybe this will provide some answers.
Someone in London is responsible for this farce. I for one intend to find out who.
Good luck to all of you.
David
Reply from Nugget
Nugget, who is also one of two excellent UK contributors to Inquisition 21, replied to him under his pseudonym.
Welcome David,
Thanks for contributing. Your story is not unique although many others have accessed child porn, although perhaps not through Landslide.
You are right to be upset, primarily because your arrest was entirely avoidable.
The UK forces knew that the US LEAs could not separate adult from child subscribers, but pressed ahead regardless. I am absolutely certain of that now. 'Xes' does not appear on the list of the 18 CP sites named by either the USPIS or the NCIS in the UK.
My situation is different - you can read my story elsewhere and in principle I have concerns about anything being illegal to view but leaving that aside IMO the UK police forces have been criminally negligent in the conduct of this operation. I just wish I knew how to bring this to the attention of the media - I despair of the pathetic way in which idiots like Jim Gamble are given a free ride on the supposed quality outlets like the Today programme.
Have a good look around here, you will find almost all of the answers you need and by all means ask directly. If you want you can send a private message but you need to register first - this is completely confidential and does not require an email address etc.
Have a look too at the main Madbadorsad site for a more wide-ranging look at this whole subject.
Nugget
HS comments
Dear David,
A heartfelt tale, through which your bitterness is clear, and justified. To be still seeking answers to your questions six months after your ordeal ended is evidence enough of the effect this had on you and your family.
There are many who, like you, were innocent of any wrong, but who have been forced to admit defeat from the growing pressure and effectively are now seen as guilty. That you fought and survived, and are now slowly rebuilding your life, is to your eternal credit, and an endorsement of the strength of your relationship with your wife.
The answers to your continuing questions are within this forum. Read at length.
You are correct that one day the pitiful and incompetent way the police have pursued their enquiries will be public. They are the only ones who wish that information suppressed.
HS
David replied.
I am disturbed, by what has happened to me. I won’t let this go, why should I? These pricks tried to ruin me and now they're gonna get some back.
David
See also 'Operation Ore on the verge of collapse' in menu below
Child pornography
Background reading
Mitsubishi abandons employee
Henry goes to prison
Dangers from your hard drive
Operations Ore and Amethyst are discredited
The Athlone story - State of malice
Irish judge in child porn allegations
Who did it? When child porn appears.
Operation Ore on the verge of collapse
Alabama man’s four year wait in Limbo
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