| Operation Ore | |
|---|---|
| Operation Name | Operation Ore |
| Type | Child pornography crackdown |
| Roster | |
| Planned by | United States |
| Executed by | Australian Federal Police, United Kingdom, United States |
| Mission | |
| Target | associated users associated with website portal Landslide Productions |
| Objective | To round up and prosecute suspects named in a Tip by the United States FBI from Operation Avalanche |
| Timeline | |
| Date executed | May 2002 |
| Results | |
| Suspects | 7,250 |
| Arrests | 3,744 |
| Criminal Complaints | 1,848 |
| Convictions | 1,451 |
| Accounting | |
Operation Ore was a British police operation that commenced in 1999 following information received from US law enforcement, which was intended to prosecute thousands of users of a website reportedly featuring child pornography. It was the United Kingdom's biggest ever computer crime investigation,[1] leading to 7,250 suspects identified, 4,283 homes searched, 3,744 arrests, 1,848 charged, 1,451 convictions, 493 cautioned and 140 children removed from suspected dangerous situations[2] and an estimated 33[3] suicides.[4][5] Operation Ore identified and prosecuted some sex offenders, but the validity of the police procedures was later questioned, as errors in the investigations resulted in many false arrests.[3]
Operation Ore followed a similar crackdown in the United States, called Operation Avalanche; in the US, 100 people were charged from the 35,000 US access records available.[6] In total, 390,000 individuals in over 60 countries were found to have accessed material in the combined investigations.[7]
- ^ Christopher Williams. "Police face £750k bill for false Operation Ore charges", Daily Telegraph, 2 April 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2012
- ^ Arthur, Charles (17 May 2007). "When will we know whether Operation Ore was a success?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ a b "Operation Ore exposed". PC Pro. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 6 April 2009.
- ^ Laville, Sandra (2 July 2009). "Legal challenge to web child abuse inquiry". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 May 2010.
- ^ "Child Porn Suspects Set to be Cleared in Evidence Shambles", Sunday Times 3 July 2005. Retrieved 23 January 2007.
- ^ "Operation Ore exposed Archived 28 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine", PC Pro magazine. Retrieved 19 June 2006.
- ^ Jewkes & Andrews. Crime Online: Chapter 5, pp62 – "Internet Child Pornography; international responses". Willan Publishing, UK (also Portland, OR) 1st Ed (2007).