NCA investigators, working with Europol and Dutch authorities, identified that John Thorogood, 75, was part of an international abuse network whose members travelled together to attack children across the globe.
He appeared in a series of abuse images recovered from another member of the group, which showed him sexually assaulting boys aged 10-12 in Morocco in 2012.
The network communicated regularly via encrypted emails, several of which were recovered as part of the investigation. These showed that Thorogood shared significant amounts of abuse material and was known to other members as ‘the Trader’.
NCA officers arrested Thorogood, who has previous convictions relating to indecent images of children, in December 2021.
His phone and computer were encrypted, but forensic work by NCA investigators led to the recovery of over 200,000 abuse images. Some of the photos were taken by Thorogood and showed boys as young as one.
Thorogood had used the same camera to take a picture of his suitcase, which had a luggage label showing flight details from London to Casablanca, Morocco, in July 2012. This led to his identification.
On 31 August at Wood Green Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to seven counts, including sexual activity with a child, causing a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity, two counts of sexual assault of a child under 13, and three counts of making indecent images of children.
He was remanded in custody and was sentenced today [20 December] to seven years and eight months in prison.
He is also subject to a 15-year sexual harm prevention order, was placed on the sex offenders register for life, and will receive a five-year worldwide travel ban once released from prison.
Another member of the network, Christopher Behn, from Essex, is currently serving a 17-year prison sentence for sexually abusing boys in south-east Asian countries on over 20 trips between 2008-2018.
He was convicted after an NCA investigation, and the agency has identified and arrested a further four men based in the UK believed to have links to the network.
Investigations are also ongoing in a number of countries across Europe.
Phil Eccles, Operations Manager at the NCA, said:
“Thorogood was a member of a transnational network who conspired together to abuse vulnerable children in remote, often impoverished parts of the world.
“The scale of this network is unprecedented. A significant amount of planning went into every trip, each of which centred on abusing children. They then catalogued and shared the photographic evidence of their abuse between them, further victimising the children.
“Members communicated via encrypted emails in an attempt to avoid detection by law enforcement. However, thanks to joint work with our European partners and the diligence of NCA officers, these men are now being exposed and we will not stop until every member of this network is brought to justice.
“The NCA is dedicated to protecting children and disrupting the highest harm offenders wherever they are in the world. Collaboration with our international colleagues is imperative in achieving this.”