Interpol hunts for alleged predator
MAPLE RIDGE MAN
By MATT KIELTYKA, 24 HOURS
November 11, 2007
As a global manhunt for an alleged pedophile from Maple Ridge
continues, an expert says the tables have turned against sexual
predators.
With more than 200 Internet photos of a man allegedly abusing
young boys in their possession, Interpol released a rare international
appeal last week after successfully recreating the suspect's face
- which was blurred out of the photos.
That suspect has since been identified as 32-year-old Christopher
Paul Neil, a Maple Ridge man who was teaching English in South
Korea before vanishing somewhere in Thailand Oct. 11.
Neil's family have told media they're shocked by the development,
but investigative journalist Julian Sher, author of One Child
at a Time: The Global Fight to Rescue the Victims of Web Porn,
told 24 hours he's not surprised a local man has been implicated.
"There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Canadians, Americans
or westerners who travel abroad to commit this kind of crime,"
he said.
But the good news, according to Sher, is that the tool predators
rely on the most, the Internet, is now being used against them.
"The police are getting more sophisticated," he said.
"In this case, they managed to isolate a picture of the predator
and release a worldwide wanted poster, not knowing the name of
the guy. The message is 'sooner or later, you're going to get
caught.'"
