By Jonathan Head
BBc News, Bangkok
A suspected paedophile known as Mr Swirl because of the way he allegedly disguised his face in photographs is set to go on trial in Thailand.
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Mr Neil was arrested in Thailand in October last year after an appeal by police working for Interpol.
They had digitally reversed the swirl used to disguise a man's face on photos found on pornographic websites to create a recognisable image.
Disguised
Dozens of suspects have been arrested in Thailand in recent years as the country works to cleanse its reputation as a haven for sex offenders.
But few have attracted the kind of attention now being given to Mr Neil, a 33-year-old Canadian.
That is because of the way he was caught.
Interpol obtained around 200 photographs from websites showing the same man in the act of sexually abusing children in Vietnam and Cambodia.
But his face had been disguised by a digital swirl. German police painstakingly reversed the swirl.
Interpol then put out an international appeal for information, which prompted enough responses for them to track Mr Neil to Thailand within 10 days, where he was arrested.
If found guilty, he could be sentenced to as long as 20 years in prison in Thailand. He also faces possible charges in other countries.
(BBC)
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