Teachers, church minister arrested for child pornographyArt

THE arrest of 13 Queensland men on child porn charges shows how hard it is to protect children from sexual predators, police say.
A teacher, church minister, unemployed preschool teacher and a man certified to work with children are among those arrested and charged as part of a Queensland police operation codenamed Stingray.
The operation was part of the long-running Taskforce Argos - an anti-child exploitation project.
Since the operation's launch in May, 28 search warrants were executed in south-east Queensland, leading to the 13 arrests and the seizure of more than 800,000 pornographic images and videos.
"These are not images of children frolicking on the beach," Acting Superintendent Peter Crawford told reporters in Brisbane.
"We are talking here about the serious images of children being sexually abused.
"There are victims behind every image and it is our responsibility to try an identify these victims."
All but three of the 13 men have appeared in court, charged with possession, distribution and production of child exploitation images.
Another four are the subject of further inquiries by police.
Among those charged are a 29-year-old teacher from Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, a 68-year-old church minister from Eagle Heights, west of the Gold Coast, and a 38-year-old unemployed preschool teacher from Brisbane.
Another man, a 47-year-old engineer from Yatala, south of Brisbane, has been identified as the holder of a blue card.
Blue cards are required by those working with children in Queensland, and are issued after a detailed national check of a person's criminal history, including any charges or convictions. It also examines any past disciplinary action or police investigation information.
The range of men arrested in the police operation demonstrates the difficulties of protecting children, Supt Crawford said.
"I think that sends a clear message to the community that it is impossible to know who might be involved in these types of activities," he said.
"It's very, very difficult to be able to protect ourselves and our children."
Police expect to make further arrests after they examine a large amount of computer equipment seized in the raids.
In another operation, codenamed Foxtrot Beau, police said a 30-year-old man from Kallangur, in Brisbane's north, had been arrested for trying to engage in online sexual activities with a 13-year-old girl.
A covert operation found the man allegedly engaged in explicit sexual conversations in an online chatroom.
The man was identified by police after he forwarded images of himself to a covert officer, which ended with a raid on his home and his arrest yesterday.
He will appear in Petrie Magistrates Court on September 21.

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