One of 186 people suspected of involvement in a large child pornography ring has hanged himself, Italian media reported Thursday.
After a massive series of raids that took place earlier this week, the man and 185 others were accused of downloading pornographic films that depicted children being tortured. Three Roman Catholic priests, a mayor, a police officer, and a social worker were implicated in the ring, as video content was discovered on their computers.
The man, whose identity has not been released, left a suicide note behind for his family, fiancée, and friends, apologizing for his crimes. “For my mistake, the only solution is death,” the note read. According to newspaper reports, the man admitted to downloading the videos but claimed not to have abused any children first-hand.
The raids took place on Tuesday, nearly a year following the authorities’ shutdown of the Web site from which the content was downloaded. The site was only operable for nine days and could only be accessed by using a password. Authorities said they were tipped off to the site’s existence by Telefono Arcobaleno, a local association that polices the Internet for child abuse.
As of Wednesday, no arrests had been made. The investigation continues.
