Body of Gibraltar commander found (Brit Navy officer under investigation)

[Pert_UK]

"Britain's top officer in Gibraltar has been found dead in his swimming pool, the Ministry of Defence said. Royal Navy Commodore David White had been informed he was to be recalled to the UK to await the outcome of an MoD police investigation.

He was discovered at his residence at Mount Barbary on Saturday. Next of kin have been informed. Chief Inspector Eddie Yome, of the Royal Gibraltar Police, said "foul play" was not suspected...

But he said it was unlikely to be a "natural death" and that the results of a post-mortem examination were awaited."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4160273.stm

[Stella_Artois]

1. Its the Royal Navy way

Rum, buggery and the lash.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. He was under investigation by the police

The Ministry of Defence was conducting an investigation into Commodore White and had asked him last week to return to Britain.

Although the MoD would not release details of the investigation, a spokesperson confirmed it was not concerned with financial allegations but with "personal issues".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1386496,00.html

And a rumour from The Sun (sorry, it's their rumour):

A DISGRACED Royal Navy chief ordered home from his key Mediterranean posting to face child porn charges has been found dead in his swimming pool.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2005012160,00.html

[Straight Shooter]

4. He should have called Karl Rove for "reputation salvage" advice

Rove would have told him to claim he was "investigating" the insiduous abuse of future British forces, trying to determine if child pornography victims become callous soldiers, capable of inflicting torture, or are they more compassionate. Then a new argument would open up about child abuse victims, do they or do they not belong in the military.

I'm not kidding. Rove can put damage control on anything, no matter how vile or disgusting.

[emad]

3. Porn probe Navy officer is found dead

Porn probe Navy officer is found dead
By Patrick Mcgowan, Evening Standard
10 January 2005

A senior Navy officer has been found dead in his swimming pool after he was ordered back to Britain to face child pornography charges.

Commodore Dav id White, 50, was found at his Gibraltar home he day after he was stripped of his command of the British garrison on the peninsula. He had been under investigation over allegations he had hundreds of indecent images of children.

In a statement the Ministry of Defence said: "His next of kin have been informed and our deepest sympathy goes to his family and friends at this time.

"Police investigations into the death of Commodore White are continuing and we are therefore unable to comment further at this stage."

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/15854782?source=Evening%20Standard

SOMEWHERE there is a DU story about the number of UK male suicides directly attributed to the Operation Ore child abuse investigation.

[emad]

5. Child porn suspect suicide tally hits 32

The Register
Child porn suspect suicide tally hits 32
By Lucy Sherriff
Published Tuesday 21st December 2004

Thirty-two of the men arrested during UK child porn investigation Operation Ore have committed suicide, police said yesterday. The men were reportedly unable to cope with the shame of their arrests.

The revelation has prompted calls that anyone arrested for such offenses be granted anonymity until they are proven to be guilty. However, the Home Office says it sees no need to change the law.

Operation Ore began in the UK around two years ago when the FBI turned over the details of 7,200 British child porn suspects to UK police. The details came from the subscriber lists of an American child porn aggregator, which provided access to 300 child porn sites in exchange for £21 per month.

A total of 3,729 of the men on the list have now been arrested. Of these, around 1,600 have been charged and a further 1,200 convicted.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/12/21/child_porn_suicide_shame/

COMMANDER WHITE now #33???

[emad]

6. Navy man's death puts spotlight on child porn inquiry - UPDATE

Telegraph
Navy man's death puts spotlight on child porn inquiry
By John Steele, Home Affairs Correspondent
(Filed: 12/01/2005)



The apparent suicide of a naval commodore under investigation on child pornography allegations has focused attention on a huge British police investigation into internet paedophiles, in which 32 other suspects are believed to have taken their lives.

Operation Ore was launched when American investigators supplied credit card details of 6,500 Britons who entered a US pay-per-view web "portal", called Landslide, to gain access to around 300 websites carrying child abuse images.
.............
Since 2002, more than 3,700 people identified from the US list have been arrested in Britain. Some 4,300 premises have been raided in the hunt for computers. More than 1,800 people have been brought before the courts, with some jailed and many getting non-custodial sentences.

More than 500 others have been cautioned by police, after admitting offences. Their numbers have swollen the Sex Offenders' Register. The remainder of those arrested, around 1,400, are on police bail while computers are "interrogated". Around 900 further cases are at the pre-arrest stage.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/01/12/nore12.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/01/12/ixhome.html