Merseyside gardener among worldwide paedophile ring snared in global police swoop
A MERSEYSIDE gardener was among a global net of suspected paedophiles snared in a massive police swoop.
Stephen Palmer, 54, of Brecon Road, Birkenhead, collected more than 10,000 indecent images and movies of young boys and shared at least 140 of them with two others in America over the internet.
He was jailed for two years at Liverpool Crown Court in October after being caught as part of Operation Rescue – a three-year police crackdown involving forces in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, America and the UK.
Across the world 670 paedophile suspects have been identified and a total of 184 arrests made – two thirds in the UK – so far by the operation headed up by the UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.
Palmer admitted three offences of distributing indecent images and six of making them. He originally claimed his computer had been stolen in a burglary but later admitted throwing it in a pond.
