Wonderland Club
Encyclopedia
Operation Cathedral was a police
operation
that broke up an international child pornography
ring called The Wonderland Club operating over the Internet
. It was led by the British
National Crime Squad
in cooperation with 13 other police forces around the globe, who arrested 107 suspects across 12 countries on September 1, 1998. Seven UK
-based men were convicted for their part in the ring in 2001.
One reason for the high profile of the operation was the unusually high number of images involved possessed and produced and distributed by Wonderland Club: 750,000 images with 1,200 unique identifiable faces. Despite substantial work by many of the agencies involved only a very small number of those appearing in the images have been identified.
The investigation had been sparked by a tip-off from United States
police investigating the rape of an eight year old girl broadcast live to pedophiles by webcam. The international and highly organized nature of the ring has led to a much higher concern for the child sexual abuse
that is child pornography.
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
operation
Sting operation
In law enforcement, a sting operation is a deceptive operation designed to catch a person committing a crime. A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect's actions to gather...
that broke up an international child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
ring called The Wonderland Club operating over the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. It was led by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
National Crime Squad
National Crime Squad
The National Crime Squad was a British police organisation which dealt mainly with organised and major crimes. Formed in April 1998 after the amalgamation of six former Regional Crime Squads it merged on 1 April 2006 into the Serious Organised Crime Agency. The NCS reported directly to the Home...
in cooperation with 13 other police forces around the globe, who arrested 107 suspects across 12 countries on September 1, 1998. Seven UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based men were convicted for their part in the ring in 2001.
One reason for the high profile of the operation was the unusually high number of images involved possessed and produced and distributed by Wonderland Club: 750,000 images with 1,200 unique identifiable faces. Despite substantial work by many of the agencies involved only a very small number of those appearing in the images have been identified.
The investigation had been sparked by a tip-off from United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
police investigating the rape of an eight year old girl broadcast live to pedophiles by webcam. The international and highly organized nature of the ring has led to a much higher concern for the child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
that is child pornography.
Risks to relatives
Due to the lack of a proper legal framework, what has now become computer law, judges and lawyers in a few countries were unsure on how to interpret facts related to computers and the Internet. Because of the publicity the operation received, full names and addresses were almost always divulged to the media thus exposing direct relatives (wives and children) to potential danger from vigilante types among the general public. In Belgium in particular, the Police Judiciare had come under heavy criticism for the handling of the Dutroux case in '95. The efforts to restore a more positive image and the moral aspect behind the operation led officers to hold a certain disregard for relatives and even consider them as potential accomplices.The bust
- International team of police raids 'club' (U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) - Wickedness of Wonderland (UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - Main Street Monsters (U.S.United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
)