Five people jailed for running international pedophile ring

A woman and at least four men were detained for being involved in an international pedophile ring that led to the sexual abuse of three children, according to news reports.

Ringleaders Robert Hathaway, 37, and his partner Melissa Noon, 30, reportedly set up an online nudist forum site as a cover for their pedophile ring involving two children in the UK and one in Australia, the BBC reported. 

A six-week trial in Portsmouth, England heard that the two British children were sexually abused repeatedly. Some of the abuse was even streamed live online to other pedophiles.

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"This was a horrific case of systematic child abuse where the defendants subjected children as young as four to atrocious acts of sexual abuse and encouraged others across the world to commit similar offences,” prosecutor Kerry Maylin was quoted as saying by the Press Association.

Hathaway admitted to 45 charges including rape, sexual assault of a child and causing a child to engage in sexual activity. Noon admitted to two charges and was given a four-year jail sentence while the court gave Hathaway an indeterminate sentence of 12 years.

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Six other men have been convicted of, or have admitted to, sex offences.

Stephen Fraser, 42, was sentenced to four years with an extended license period of six years; Simon Hilton, 29, was sentenced for four years with an extended license period of six years; and Lee Parson, 38, was jailed for three years.

Three other men, Daniel Bell, Mark Day and John Maddox, were also found guilty of child sex offences during the trial and will be sentenced next month.