Warning over child-porn loopholes

One of the world's foremost international child pornography investigators has cautioned Hong Kong lawmakers not to leave loopholes for potential child sex abusers when they meet to consider a Child Pornography Bill.

The warning comes on the eve of a Legislative Council bills committee meeting on the controversial proposed laws which aim to make the possession of child pornography an offence.

It also comes as police in Hong Kong carry out a hush-hush investigation into a list of names of people who have used their credit cards to access child pornography on the Internet.

Although accessing child pornography on the Web is not an offence in Hong Kong at present, the police do have a copy of the list and the Sunday Morning Post understands a behind-the-scenes probe is under way.

The Hong Kong names, part of a list of 75,000 people identified worldwide - including musician Pete Townshend, guitarist with the British rock group The Who - was discovered during an international investigation into child pornography on the Internet and revealed last month by the Sunday Morning Post.

Detective Inspector Hamish McCulloch, who is based at the international police organisation Interpol's headquarters in Lyon, France, has also issued a warning that 'influential and powerful' people on the lists will use all means at their disposal to prevent their names becoming public.

In line with possible child pornography suspects identified in up to 60 countries, the Hong Kong list is thought to contain the names of people in a series of top jobs, and in positions where they are responsible for children - such as teachers and social workers.