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Paedophiles meet on Facebook

Three Britons, including one nursery worker, who swapped pictures of themselves abusing babies online after meeting on social networking site Facebook admitted a string of offences.

Vanessa George, 39, who worked at Little Ted's Day Care Unit in Plymouth, southwest England, faced angry relatives of possible victims at Bristol Crown Court when she appeared with Angela Allen, 39, and Colin Blanchard, 38.

The three, who only met in person when their crimes were discovered, emailed each other mobile phone pictures of themselves abusing children aged between a year and 18 months old with objects like plastic golf clubs.

Police - who are still trying to identify the young victims but say their chances of doing so are low - believe the abuse started in September 2008 and carried on until June this year. They are baffled by aspects of the crimes.

Connected through Facebook
"How did three people get connected on Facebook and somehow get on to such depraved, awful topics of conversation that led to sex assault of children," one of the investigating officers, Detective Superintendent Adrian Pearson, said after the hearing.

George, of Plymouth, admitted seven sexual assaults on children and six counts of distributing and making indecent pictures of children.

Blanchard, of Smallbridge, northwest England, who had been on the sex offenders register after being cautioned for a previous offence, pleaded guilty to 17 child pornography counts, two sexual assaults on children and a charge of possessing extreme pornography.

Allen, of Nottingham, central England, admitted four child sex assaults and one count of distributing an indecent image. – (Sapa, October 2009)

Read more:
Protecting your child from sexual abuse

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