FOUR men have been arrested in North Yorkshire in a police crackdown on the exploitation of children.
North Yorkshire Police arrested a 40-year-old man from Scarborough, a 57-year-old Harrogate man, a 54-year-old Whitby man and a 52-year-old man from Stokesley, as part of a national Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) operation.
The 40-year-old appeared before Scarborough Magistrates Court today charged with three offences, including engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, and distribution and possession of an indecent image.
Detective Chief Inspector Nigel Costello, head of North Yorkshire Police’s Protecting Vulnerable Persons Unit, said the warrants were issued under CEOP’s Operation Tharsley, and officers had also seized computer equipment and other materials from the four men.
He said: “This high-profile national operation shines a light on the daily work of our intelligence teams who support detectives and uniformed officers to bring offenders involved in the possession and distribution of indecent images of children to justice.”
The other three men have been released on police bail pending further enquiries.
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