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Global Effort Helps Interpol Track Down Suspected Pedophile

October 16, 2007 8:30 AM

Globalefforth_mn Three days after releasing a digitally reconstructed photo of a suspected child sex abuser, Interpol says it has tracked the suspect, Christopher Paul Neil, 32, to Thailand.

"Thailand is at the centre of an international manhunt, and authorities in the country, in cooperation with Interpol and police around the world, are hunting him down," said Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble.

After releasing the man's image, Interpol says "five different sources from three continents" identified "Vico" -- a codename given to the suspect for the investigation  -- as a Canadian teaching English in South Korea. Today authorities in Thailand and Cambodia released the suspect's name, nationality and age.

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Authorities in South Korea and Thailand say Neil flew last Thursday from Seoul to Thailand, where security cameras caught him arriving at the Bangkok International Airport.

The global police agency is now calling on the public again to help pinpoint "Vico's" exact location.

"We must once again enlist the public's support," Secretary General Noble said.

One week ago Interpol released four digitally reconstructed images of the suspected predator pictured in about 200 images on the Internet sexually abusing 12 different young boys. While the man obscured his own face, he left those of his victims unobstructed.

In just over 12 hours after the images' release, Interpol says it received some 200 messages. By today, that number had increased to more than 350. Interpol also said police in Cambodia were able to identify some of the locations in the pictures.

Secretary General Noble credited the public's overwhelming response for aiding the investigation "to make such remarkable progress in such a sort space of time."

This post has been updated.

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October 16, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (27)

User Comments

The sooner they catch this person the better and discover what he is like and where he went. These people are a danger to any society, not just this one or that one.

Posted by: Williamwfh | Oct 15, 2007 3:31:28 PM

Kudos to Interpol for being able to reconstruct the distorted image. Thanks to the internet Interpol now has a technology to set the agency in full motion.

Let's hope that more international communication and cooperation can help ring in other international criminals.

Posted by: dB | Oct 15, 2007 3:34:43 PM

If they can find this guy, think about if they actually went looking for Osama Bin Laden! Maybe we should label OBL a pedo in order to find him!

Posted by: a.copley | Oct 15, 2007 3:37:27 PM

What is it with Pedophiles and Thailand. Is that not where they rounded up that Jon Benet wannabee murder.... Also. not surprised he is a teacher. Pedophiles seem to gravitate to that profession....

Posted by: Mike Jones | Oct 15, 2007 4:04:55 PM

Ha ha ha, that pervert deserved all of this. Somehow, being an English teacher abroad myself, I knew that he could definately be working as an English teacher.

Posted by: fibonacci | Oct 15, 2007 4:30:31 PM

fibonacci, I also work in Asia as an English teacher, and when his photo was first released, I bet my coworkers that he'd turn out to be an English teacher. Why did we both have the same instinct? You and I both know the answer to that question ;-)

Posted by: Jeff | Oct 15, 2007 5:47:41 PM

I will give the muslim's credit where credit is due. When "they" catch perverts like this.... You never hear from the again... to bad he did not flee to Iran....

Posted by: Mike Jones | Oct 15, 2007 5:48:32 PM

Just like the song..."No where to run, no where to hide"

Posted by: Mike Jones | Oct 15, 2007 5:49:42 PM

Putting this creap in jail, would be like putting a kid in a candy store. At least he will get his just rewards...

Posted by: Mike Jones | Oct 15, 2007 7:40:13 PM

Who cares

Posted by: Joe | Oct 15, 2007 8:20:58 PM

LOL Mike. Cheers man.

Posted by: fibonacci | Oct 15, 2007 9:46:04 PM

All I can say is, this slim bucket is totally sick and discusting.

Posted by: Mariann | Oct 15, 2007 9:55:07 PM

Interesting that the English teacher working abroad can't even spell "definately" (definitely)!

Posted by: CKal | Oct 15, 2007 10:00:27 PM

Teachers and priests. Those are the professions.

Posted by: John Boyle | Oct 15, 2007 10:12:53 PM

This is a drop in the bucket - there are so many preying on kids.

Posted by: Robin | Oct 15, 2007 10:53:29 PM

Pedophiles are the scum of the earth and this guy goes one step further by tarnishing the image of his country people and his profession.

He deserves what ever he has coming which in that area, should be a lot.

Posted by: Oppo | Oct 16, 2007 2:47:33 AM

jeff, you're so right. wish we could turn them over to iran or let them freely flee there. it'd be great...so so great.

Posted by: joe | Oct 16, 2007 4:35:15 AM

what we do to children is the same as doing to Jesus Christ. We as people can punish peds {not near as harsh as they deserve} but oh, the condemnation from God! The Lord will have his vengence and those that harm children will suffer as no others have known!

Posted by: sheila | Oct 16, 2007 9:51:37 AM

What is sickening is he needed to take photographs of himself hurting/molesting these children...strangely, it was this need to have a photographic memento of his crime is what will lead to his downfall...I imagine the majority of pedophiles don't take photographs and distribute them...

Posted by: FineMess | Oct 16, 2007 10:15:30 AM

This man has to be found because he is the devil incarnate no doubt about it.
The person who raped me was a teacher and my brother-in-law and he got away with it in his case he did because I was afraid to talk because he said that he would kill my family and let me watch starting with my mother.
He is a sick sick person I don't want to call him a man because he is not he is a rabbit animal. What do we do with a rabbit animal we kill them and that is what they have to do to him RIGHT NOW.
Because he will not stop the killing of all these innocent children because that is what it is MURDER. Once this happens to a child she/he will never be the same ever. I know because that is what happened to me.
MAY GOD BLESS ALL OF THE CHILDREN THAT THIS ANIMAL HARMED IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM.

Posted by: Carol | Oct 16, 2007 10:24:13 AM

"Interesting that the English teacher working abroad can't even spell "definately" (definitely)!"
CKal, you took the words right out of my mouth!!!

Posted by: Christine | Oct 16, 2007 10:47:15 AM

Interpol will get him...

Posted by: dks0442 | Oct 16, 2007 12:46:11 PM

It's interesting now that we also learn that the guy went to a religious post-secondary school and wanted to be a priest, but was rejected because, "He just did not have the qualifications as a person". Many English teachers in Asia are here because they couldn't get work in their home countries, but the fact that this guy wanted to be a priest is pretty sad.

Joe, I did not post that about Iran. That was Mike Jones. This site does a poor job of comment separation. Site admin, can y'all do something about that, please?

Posted by: Jeff | Oct 16, 2007 6:40:51 PM

Is it just me or does this guys picture look like the turtle from the master of disguise? All he is missing is the shell!

Posted by: Kilroy was here | Oct 17, 2007 6:31:25 PM

Let this be proof the U.S. government does not care on capturing bin ladin. If we can find this guy out of billions in three days and not bin in over 6years then that says somthing. Like Bush is Bin Ladins Protector.

Posted by: Adeeb N. | Oct 18, 2007 3:46:58 PM

Finally, he is caught

Posted by: Poster | Oct 19, 2007 3:05:39 PM

Two reasons why this guy was caught and bin Laden wasn't: (1) This guy stuck out like a sore thumb in SE Asia, but bin Laden is hiding amongst other Arabs, and we think "oh, they all look alike"; (2) If we actually caught bin Laden, he might have some interesting things to say about the Bush family and the other forces who set him up years ago and now use him as a distraction to keep us from noticing how they're looting the entire planet...and we can't have that, now can we?

Posted by: Hotshot Robot | Oct 23, 2007 9:21:53 AM

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