Priests among 186 arrested over child torture site

ROME: Italian police are investigating 186 people including three

priests after uncovering an Internet pornography site for paedophiles that

showed young children being tortured, an official said.

Police said the anonymous web site had been protected by a password and

was only accessible for nine days last year in an apparent effort to avoid

detection.

But a tip-off to a child-abuse telephone helpline allowed computer

experts to track down the users. Besides the Roman Catholic priests,

police also believe a mayor, a teacher and a doctor downloaded illegal

videos.

"The children on the films were aged between 4 and 8 at most. Some

were abused, others were even tortured," said Domenico Di Somma,

coordinator for the police computer investigation taskforce.

Police have confiscated computers across Italy, but have not yet

pressed charges as they continue with their investigation.

The head of an Italian child protection organisation said the case,

which was centred on the Mediterranean island of Sicily, was just the tip

of an iceberg.

"Dismay turns to uncontrollable rage when you are confronted by

these images which not even the most hardened maker of horror films could

bear to watch," Antonio Marziale of the Observatory of Child Rights

was quoted as saying by Ansa news agency.

"Paedophilia has assumed emergency proportions and should be top

of the government's agenda."