You directly or indirectly exploited the most vulnerable in our society. Judge Kenneth Macrae Raids were staged around the world on 2 September 1998, leading to a total of 107 arrests being made across the UK, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Sweden and the United States. Under laws applying at the time the men were charged, they could only have faced a maximum of three years in jail.
Children represent the future.
They should be cared for and protected. Police say the jail terms were a victory, adding that a Bill had now been passed in Parliament increasing the maximum sentence to 10 years for such offences. Detective Chief Inspector Alex Wood said the sentences were as police expected as the judge was working under constraints where he had to give credit for guilty pleas. But he said their ground-breaking investigation had brought forward changes in policing of paedophiles and legislation around the world including the UK's tougher stance. Baldock and Hines were placed on the sex offenders register for life because of their greater role in the gang's crimes.