Alleged internet 'swirl face' child abuser goes on trial

A man arrested and charged with sexual abuse of a young boy after Interpol unscrambled swirled digital pictures went on trial today.

Canadian Christopher Paul Neil (aged 32), who worked as a teacher in several Asian countries, pleaded not guilty to all charges in the case.

Neil was arrested in Thailand last October after the police agency was able to reconstruct his face which had been disguised in images posted on the internet, apparently showing him engaging in sexual acts with young boys.

Neil is accused of sexually abusing a nine-year-old Thai boy, who contacted police after seeing him on television following his arrest.

The child, now 14, claims Neil paid him between €9.50 and €19 to have sex in 2003.

Neil – shackled and wearing an orange prison uniform in court – faces up to 20 years in jail for charges that include sexually abusing a minor, videotaping the alleged abuse, taking a child without parental consent and holding him against his will.

Interpol’s unprecedented public call was based on the discovery of 200 internet photos that show a man sexually abusing at least a dozen Vietnamese and Cambodian boys, some as young as six.

The photos were found online in 2004, but the face of the perpetrator was digitally obscured by a swirling shape. Interpol was able to unscramble the images with the help of German police computer experts three years later, and circulated the pictures publicly.

Hundreds of tips were received.

Neil was arrested 11 days after the Interpol appeal was launched.

Neil had taught at various schools in South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam since 2000. Previously, he worked as a chaplain in Canada, counselling teenagers.