An investigation has been launched after an operation to dismantle a paedophile ring that streamed child abuse live from the Philippines led detectives to three men living in the north-east.
Police Scotland officers, working in conjunction with various law-enforcement agencies, were given details of people who had made payments to individuals involved in distributing the extreme material from south-east Asia.
They seized computer equipment owned by the men so the Aberdeen-based cybercrime unit could examine it.
Cases have not been pursued against two of the men, one living in the city and another in the shire, after no illegal material was recovered from their computers. However, inquiries into the activities of the third man are still being carried out.
It is understood the payment system used by customers viewing the abuse of children live online may also be linked to transactions made by those buying access to adult pornography.
The investigation was launched amid growing concern over organised crime groups exploiting those living in extreme poverty and forcing them to take part in the production of obscene material.
Detective Sergeant George Cordiner, who heads the cybercrime unit for Police Scotland’s north division, said: “I am unable to divulge details of specific cases as investigations are ongoing.
“However, I can confirm that details of people who have made payments to individuals linked to the live streaming of child abuse have been passed to us by our law-enforcement colleagues. We received the details of three individuals, two in Aberdeen and one in Aberdeenshire. No action has been taken against two individuals but inquiries are continuing in one case.”
The work of Operation Barramundi has identified 128 suspects in the UK.
The National Crime Agency (NCA), which replaced the Serious Organised Crime Agency last year, said that men paying to watch abuse via webcams was an “emerging threat”, particularly to those in developing countries.
Extreme poverty, the wide availability of high-speed internet and the existence of a comparatively wealthy overseas customer base had led to children being exploited for financial gain, the NCA said.
Andy Baker, of the NCA’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, warned that anyone paying to view content produced by criminal gangs was complicit in the abuse of children.
Comment, Page 28