It was led by the British National Crime Squad in cooperation with 1,500 officers from 13 other police forces around the world,[1] who simultaneously arrested 104 suspects in 13 countries (including Australia, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK, and the US) on 2 September 1998.
[2] The case received widespread international attention due to the highly organised nature of the ring, leading to public concerns of online child sexual abuse and legislative changes in the UK.
[1][5] The accused, Ronald Riva of Greenfield, California, was in a paedophile gang called The Orchid Club[9][10] and was encouraged during the assault by six others, including Ian Baldock, a member of Wonderland.
The Portuguese national was later identified as Rui Pedro Teixeira Mendonça, an 11-year-old boy kidnapped in Lousada on 4 March 1998 and whose whereabouts are currently unknown.
[20][25] Protests by child care campaigners led to proposed legal revisions of British laws[24][26] and an increase in penalties to 10 years[2] as per the Sexual Offences Act 2003.