Aussie ‘porn king’ nabbed

AUSTRALIAN Peter Gerard Scully at the NBI headquarters in Cagayan de Oro City following his arrest for trafficking in persons and child abuse on Friday. BOBBY LAGSA/INQUIRER MINDANAO

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The National Bureau of Investigation has arrested an Australian facing charges of trafficking girls, including a year-old baby, to use them in his Internet-based pornographic trade.

Peter Gerard Scully, 51, is now in NBI custody following his arrest in the village of Violeta in Malaybalay City, according to Angelito Magno, NBI regional director.

NBI agents, members of the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), representatives from Australian and Dutch police forces and operatives of the International Police (Interpol) worked on Scully’s arrest.

Noticed in the Netherlands

Senior Superintendent Alexander Tagum, CIDG Northern Mindanao chief, said Scully has been under investigation for pornographic activities on the Internet that caught the interest of authorities in the Netherlands.

Czar Eric Nuqui, head of the NBI’s antihuman trafficking division, said Scully had lured girls to his house in Malaybalay City with promises of education and food.

He coerces the girls into sex and broadcasts this perversion on the Internet.

Tagum said many of the girls that Scully used in his operation came from this city and Bukidnon.

Two of his victims decided to sue and the case was filed in the Regional Trial Court Branch 37 here under Judge Jose Escobido in Nov. 2014.

Authorities used the warrant issued by Escobido to arrest Scully, although the Australian had long been wanted for other crimes elsewhere.

Coordination

According to the case filed in Escobido’s sala, Scully entered the Philippines in 2011 and initially settled in this city.

Police in the Netherlands took notice of Scully’s porn activities and coordinated with Philippine and Australian authorities and the Interpol, said Tagum.

“We were monitoring his activities from our country,” said one of the Dutch policemen involved in Scully’s arrest. He requested anonymity.

Nuqui said some of Scully’s victims suffered physical harm.

Scully had been encouraged to pursue his illegal Internet porn trade after he found he was doing good business in Europe, said Nuqui.

Gadgets

The arresting team seized from Scully electronic gadgets that he uses on his victims and copies of his porn videos.

Nuqui said authorities are also investigating the liability of parents of the girls who fell victims to Scully’s porn trade.

Tagum said investigators are also looking at the possibility that Scully did not work alone.

“There are numerous clients of Scully that are just as guilty as he is. They will be tracked,” said Nuqui.

The Dutch policeman interviewed by Inquirer said Scully’s crime knew no boundaries.

Asked if Scully could be extradited to Australia, Magno said he preferred that the Australian “serve his time here” first.

The Philippine government’s campaign against human trafficking has been strengthened recently with the National Police Commission (Napolcom) establishing field units of women and children’s protections centers (WCPC).

Under a restructuring scheme, each field unit will have five operation teams to enforce laws on human trafficking, women and children’s rights.

More centers

Field units will be created in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao under Napolcom Resolution No. 2014-441.

Napolcom vice chair and executive officer Eduardo Escueta said the Philippine National Police initially suggested the creation of a national support unit to lead investigation and enforcement of Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act of 2004 and Republic Act 10364 or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012.

“The Napolcom deemed it more practical and reasonable that instead of creating a new national support unit, the existing WCPC be strengthened and restructured to handle human trafficking cases,” Escueta said.

The field units of the WCPC will be established in Camp Crame, Quezon City; Cebu City and Zamboanga City. Bobby Lagsa, Inquirer Mindanao with a report by Julie Aurelio in Manila