Canadian pedophile suspect appears in court in Thailand
Author: MICHAEL CASEY, Associated Press
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BANGKOK — A Canadian arrested last year in a worldwide manhunt after Interpol unscrambled his swirled digital images from Internet photos appeared in court Monday in Thailand, accused of sexually abusing a 9-year-old boy.

Christopher Paul Neil, a 32-year-old schoolteacher who worked in several Asian countries, has pleaded not guilty in the case. He was arrested in Thailand on Oct. 19, 2007, after Interpol issued an unprecedented global appeal to help apprehend him.

Shackled and smiling, Mr. Neil waved to a friend and said, "How's it going?" as he entered Bangkok's criminal courthouse ahead of the trial. He was wearing an orange prison uniform, barefoot and chained to another prisoner.

“I hope there will be justice in Thailand,” he told reporters.

Mr. Neil, formerly of Vancouver, is accused of sexually abusing a Thai boy, who contacted police after seeing Mr. Neil's face on television following his arrest. The child claims Mr. Neil paid him $15 to $30 to perform oral sex in 2003, while he was living in Thailand.

Mr. Neil faces up to 20 years in prison for charges that include sexually abusing a minor and videotaping the alleged abuse, taking a child without parental consent and holding him against his will.

“We've got the evidence,” said prosecutor Sontus Singhapus. “He's guilty.”

Prosecutors plan to introduce some 70 photographs that allegedly show Mr. Neil engaging in sexual acts and playing with young naked and partially clothed young boys, said Mr. Sontus.

Mr. Neil's opening hearing was quickly adjourned after the court assigned him a lawyer and set the next session for June 2.

Interpol's public call for help was based on the discovery of some 200 Internet photos believed to show Mr. Neil sexually abusing at least a dozen Vietnamese and Cambodian boys, some as young as 6.

The photos were found online in 2004, but the face of the perpetrator was digitally obscured as a swirling shape. After three years of searching, the international police agency was able to unscramble the images with the help of German police computer experts. Interpol circulated the pictures publicly and received hundreds of tips that led them to identify Mr. Neil as the suspect.

Mr. Neil was arrested 11 days after the appeal was launched after flying into Bangkok on a one-way ticket from South Korea, where he was working as an English teacher.

Mr. Neil had taught at various schools in South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam since 2000. Previously, Mr. Neil worked as a chaplain in Canada, counselling teens.

Mr. Neil lived in Thailand from 2002 to early 2004, according to police.

Since Mr. Neil's arrest, Interpol has said it will allow wider use of public appeals to track suspected pedophiles.

Canadian pedophile suspect Christopher Paul Neil smiles during an appearance at the Crime Court in Bangkok on Monday. (Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP/Getty Images)

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