Cambodian police break up major child abuse ring after Exposure

- last updated Sun 10 Nov 2013. Watch the video at ITV.

• World
• Exposure
• Child Abuse

Exposure investigated the child sex trade in Cambodia Photo: ITV/ Exposure

Cambodian police have broken up an international child abuse ring that trafficked youngsters to British paedophiles following an ITV Exposure investigation.

Former police detective Mark Williams Thomas went undercover in Cambodia, a country struggling with its reputation as a haven for child sex offenders.

As a result of the programme, police from the country's anti-trafficking department carried out an operation and rescued two young girls.

• Read more: New concerns over British paedophiles in Cambodia

Watch an extract of Exposure: Predators Abroad:

The two young girls aged 12 and 14, are now in care after police arrested an alleged trafficker who reportedly planned on selling them for sex to an undercover officer.

Williams Thomas posed as a British sex tourist to highlight how UK sex offenders were travelling abroad to Cambodia to abuse children.

He said that after handing in a phone used to communicate with the reported traffickers to Cambodian police, they were able to arrest an individual, who is now facing trial.

This is brilliant result. It goes to show the importance of investigative work like ours and that you can go to another country and expose what is going on there.
It is great that two girls are now safe who were apparently being preyed on for abuse.
This shows just how vital the role of investigative journalism is - by making this Exposure programme we have been able to break up a child trafficking ring and rescue two children.

– Mark Williams Thomas, Child Protection Expert

Mark Williams Thomas went undercover in Exposure. Credit: ITV/Exposure

A police source in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh told the Sunday Mirror that the investigation helped to launch their own operation, adding that more arrests were expected following the raid.

This was a significant operation which has seen one man arrested. Hopefully more action will follow thanks to the information we have been given.
Police went to a location to meet a man who was offering girls, after carrying out their own undercover work.

– Police source

Cambodian police have said the operation is still ongoing as a result of information supplied by Exposure.

• Anyone affected by the issues raised in this programme can contact the NSPCC Helpline on 0808 800 5000 or contact the charity via their website