Interpol unscrambles photo to ID pedophile

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

PARIS - Interpol sought public help Monday in identifying a suspected pedophile, revealing a technique to unscramble digitally altered images to show the face of a man seen in Internet photos sexually abusing young boys in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Specialists succeeded in producing identifiable images of the man from the original pictures, where his face was a digitally blurred whirl, the international police organization said.

Anders Persson, a Swedish police officer who oversees Interpol’s database of images of child abuse, said releasing the photos sent “a quite clear message” to criminals that they can be identified through Web postings.

He declined to detail how specialists unblurred the photos.

“Techniques are always developing. What is impossible today is possible tomorrow,” he said. “There were several attempts to clear the face ... We are sure that you can’t get better pictures and the people in his neighborhood — family friends, colleagues, whatever — they will recognize him.”

Interpol said 12 different young boys appeared in about 200 original photographs. One picture showed the name of a hotel in Vietnam, but police checks of the guest register turned up no clues, Persson said in a telephone interview. Cambodian police recognized locations in other photos.

Interpol, which is headquartered in Lyon in southeast France, posted four reconstructed photos of the man on its Web site, along with an original image where his face was blurred.

Photos from before December 2004

Persson said he personally had opposed making the photos public because it demonstrated to criminals that police can now unblur pictures. But that consideration and the risk that the man could face public humiliation or even violence now that he is recognizable were outweighed by the desire to protect other children from abuse.

“It was a long discussion,” Persson said. “We can’t just sit here and do nothing. We have exhausted all possibilities within police work to find this man ... This was the last step.”

The photos by German specialists showed a white man who looked in his thirties, with uncombed short brown hair. One photo showed him wearing glasses; in another he was smiling.

The photos must date from before December 2004, when they were found on the Internet, and some were digitally stamped as having been taken in 2002 and 2003, said Persson.

“For years, images of this man sexually abusing children have been circulating on the Internet. We have tried all other means to identify and to bring him to justice, but we are now convinced that without the public’s help this sexual predator could continue to rape and sexually abuse young children whose ages appear to range from six to early teens,” Interpol’s secretary general, Ronald K. Noble, said in a statement.

“We have very good reason to believe that he travels the world in order to sexually abuse and exploit vulnerable children,” Noble added.

Boys have not been located

The 12 boys have not been located, he added. Interpol had already circulated photos of the man to police around the world but failed to identify him.

The man has distinguishing marks on his body that would be enable police to be sure that he is the man in the photographs if he is eventually identified, Persson said. He did not say what these marks were but said they would be “the final proof if he is the right guy or not.”

Interpol asked people who recognize the man or who have other information to contact police or the Interpol bureau in their country. It urged them not to take any direct action themselves.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21190969/

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I hope they catch him soon. I'm wondering whether it was a good idea though to reveal the technology?

[Ban Hammer 13,343]

I hope they catch him soon. I'm wondering whether it was a good idea though to reveal the technology?

my thoughts are they did that as they don't have a clue who he is and they are hoping the public can be of help.

[Jasman0717 9]

I saw this on 60 Minutes last night. I liked the interview with the Interpol guy

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

I hope they catch him soon. I'm wondering whether it was a good idea though to reveal the technology?

reveal it or don't use it... or use it in limited distribution.... (e.g. only distribute pics to immigration agents). I don't think there is any deterrent for these animals.

[rclouse 0]

[Jasman0717 9]

[ I don't think there is any deterrent for these animals.

What we have tried so far doesn't seem to work

[Jamie76 0]

I agree. I dont think these sobs see this as a deterrant. Just watching those Dateline "To Catch a Predator" specials and you can see. Hell, some showed up at the sting house after being caught in a previous operation.

[Carlawarla 1]

Still looks swirled and scrambled to me!

Carla

[MrsBruce5 0]

I hope they nail his b*lls to a wooden plank first , and then, one shot with a 9mm to the head ought to do the trick.

There is NO rehab for these monsters, and if they end up in jail, I see no point in paying for them to eat & sleep. They're not worth keeping on this Earth.

I have hope that this ingrate will get caught now...

[Kez/JWolf 6]

My heart goes out the that mans family..... can you imagin seeing your son or grandson or brother and knowing what they had done to poor inocent children....

Kez

[MrsBruce5 0]

My heart goes out the that mans family..... can you imagin seeing your son or grandson or brother and knowing what they had done to poor inocent children....

Kez

I'd disown him if he were my kin. I wouldn't want a thing to do with him...

[Kang Lang 7]

i actually read about a fantastic end to a pedophile story. an active san francisco police officer had been travelling back and forth to thailand for some 20 years and got caught earlier this year with a very very young girl in a hotel. (UGH) so when he was taken to jail in bangkok he "committed suicide in his cell by shooting himself in the face TWICE"

pedophiles are the scourge of the earth.

[almaty 19]

i hope someone recognizes him and he gets put away..perfer a prison in viet nam or thailand

[Ban Hammer 13,343]

i hope someone recognizes him and he gets put away..perfer a prison in viet nam or thailand

i'd vote for him going to a turkish prison