Vaughan Johnson calls for pedophiles to kill themselves

Article from: Herald Sun

June 06, 2008 03:50pm

SOCIETY would be better off if pedophiles committed suicide before they abused children, an MP said today.

Queensland National Vaughan Johnson, who has four young granddaughters, told State Parliament that he had been sickened after 41 Queenslands, including teachers, were arrested on Thursday in one of the nation's biggest pedophile busts.

A 59-year-old teacher charged over the bust had committed suicide while a second teacher, 48, was recovering in hospital after a failed suicide attempt.

"I hope they bring these grubs to justice,'' Mr Johnson said during a debate on the Budget.

"We find out how much guts they've got ... as one of them committed suicide yesterday and another one had a big go, but he must not have had the courage to do it properly.

"If they all went and did it first up, we wouldn't have this problem. They must be guilty if they commit suicide ... maybe I am too harsh but I've got no time for that.''

A defence force officer and a youth worker are among 19 Victorians arrested.

Major Kenneth Paul Chapman, 52 of Werribee, is facing one count of using the internet to access child pornography.

Major Chapman last year led a UN peace keeping mission in East Timor.

West Footscray youth worker Stephen De Rozairo, 41, is charged with one count of accessing child pornography and one of knowingly possessing child pornography.

One of the youngest of those arrested, Robert Nathan Campbell, 20, of Lalor, was granted bail in Melbourne Magistrates' Court.

He faces one count of knowingly possessing child pornography and one of accessing child pornography.

An Australian Federal Police officer, a teacher, a pharmacist, a sports administrator and a banker are also among those caught in the nationwide police net.

Those arrested were men aged from 19 to 81.

AFP Assistant Commissioner Andrew Colvin said secret codes in live chat rooms had been used to access the pornography.

"People who are engaged in this type of activity . . . they know how to follow the links," he said.

"It only needs a couple of messages posted on a chatroom to say you should look at this website. That message spreads around the world like wildfire."

Parents should see such police busts as a reminder of the need for vigilance, Mr Colvin said.

"Parents need to take an active role in their children's online experience.

"People need to be aware of this kind of predatory behaviour."

One million images of children were hauled in by the Australian agents, who had worked 13,000 hours on the investigation.

AFP Commissioner Mick Keelty yesterday said more arrests were expected.

The international probe was sparked when a hacker posted 99 child porn images on a European website, attracting 12 million hits from 150,000 computer users in just 76 hours.

The 2883 computer addresses traced back to Australia have all been identified.

Meanwhile, Queensland police fear dozens of suspects could escape justice because the Federal Police "screwed up" one of the busts, the Courier-Mail reports.

Senior Queensland police sources last night accused the AFP of going public too early, effectively tipping off nearly half the suspects and compromising the six-month investigation.

"They're expecting accolades but they've screwed up," a source said.

An AFP spokesman denied "operational activity had been compromised".

"Throughout this investigation the AFP has closely consulted and co-ordinated with state and territory law enforcement partners," he said. "It is important the public hears this message and are warned of the danger."