Call to respect privacy of British paedophile's victims

KUALA LUMPUR: Police have requested the public to respect the privacy of the victims and their families of convicted British paedophile Richard Huckle.
Federal Police (Bukit Aman) CID director Datuk Seri Mohmad Salleh said this was to allow the recovery process to take place without any interruptions.
"Be warned that exposing the identities of victims is a criminal offence under Section 15 of the Child Act 2001. It is punishable with up to five years in jail, a fine of up to RM10,000, or both," he said in a statement here, today.
So far no family members or victims have come forward to lodge police reports against Huckle.
"Those with information or would like to lodge a police report on the case, may contact the Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division (D11) Bukit Aman at 03-22666297 or email to d11ba@rmp.gov.my," said Mohmad.
Huckle was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in London on Monday (June 6) for sexually abusing 23 children in Malaysia as well as infants and children in Cambodia for nearly a decade.
Reuters reported that Huckle, 30, was sentenced to 22 life sentences and will be in jail for at least 23 years.
Police believe he abused up to 200 children from mainly poor communities, aged six to 11 years, from 2006 to 2014.
Huckle faced a total of 91 charges but pleaded guilty to 71 offences.
Police found more than 20,000 pornographic images of children on his computer and camera when he was arrested at Gatwick Airport, London, in 2014.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (KPWKM) will conduct community programmes in areas identified in Huckle's case.
Its deputy minister Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun said the programmes would be conducted in cooperation with the relevant departments such as the Police.
"The Ministry, through the Welfare Department has held discussions with other agencies, especially the police and so far three of the affected areas have been identified," she told reporters after presenting monthly contribution to 30 recipients of welfare aid in Sabak Bernam District, here today.
She, however, declined to reveal the three areas, adding that they were still waiting for the list of the victims' identities from the British police.
In the meantime, Azizah advised charitable organisations, especially those taking care of children to follow a stringent procedure before allowing in foreigners who volunteer to serve to avoid a recurrence of the incidents. — AFP