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Last Updated: Nov 2nd, 2009 - 17:32:57 |
LONDON (Reuters) - Five children who were held captive and sexually abused live over the internet have been rescued in raids by police, according to a Scottish newspaper report.
The boys and girls, aged from seven to 13, were snatched from their abusers in three raids on homes in Scotland and two in England, Scotland's Daily Record reported on Tuesday.
Police launched the raids in the central belt of Scotland last month after a man was arrested on suspicion of carrying out undisclosed sex offences.
The operation, supported by Scotland's National Sex Crimes Unit (NSCU) set up earlier this year, was extended south of the border after Scottish officers passed on evidence seized in the raids.
The unit has now begun proceedings against a number of suspects, according to the paper. The raids are thought to be part of a major UK operation that is ongoing.
Senior prosecuting counsel Derek Ogg, who heads the unit, told the Daily Record it was one of Scotland's "most harrowing and disturbing cases" of child abuse.
"Until the police investigation revealed these results, we were unaware of the full extent of child exploitation going on in our own backyard," he told the newspaper.
"It was a fantastic result for good, old-fashioned police and detective work carried out by incredibly dedicated officers who worked night and day to put an end to these children's daily ordeal," he said.
The NSCU consists of eight senior prosecutors at the Crown Office in Edinburgh who are linked to sexual offences teams that operate in each of Scotland's regions.
No one was immediately available for comment at the Crown Office.
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