File-sharing used to swap hardcore images

PAEDOPHILES are swapping thousands of hardcore images of child sex abuse in a new form of computer child pornography.

The demand for child porn through the use of file-sharing technology normally associated with swapping music and movies has grown so rapidly that law enforcement agencies are now employed in a global race to track down the children who are being abused.

In the wake of Monday night's Prime Time on child porn, Irish child protection agencies yesterday demanded tougher sentences for offenders and better therapeutic support for those abused.