FOUR Hampshire men have been arrested as part of a national police crackdown on internet paedophiles.

The men, all aged in their 40s and 50s, were detained through an operation targeting people suspected of downloading and sharing sick child pornography.

The arrested men, who were all detained yesterday on suspicion of distributing indecent images of children, include a 49-year-old from Chandlers Ford and a 54-year-old from Gosport.

Terry Fleet, of Wilmott Close, Gosport, was later charged with four counts of distribution of an indecent image of a child.

He has remanded in custody and was today due to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates Court.

The arrests come as part of the national Operation Tharsley, co-ordinated by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) centre.

The warrants involved a total of 25 officers from Hampshire Constabulary’s Public Protection and other specialist departments, and were led by the Paedophile and Online Investigation Team.

Head of the POLIT Detective Inspector Victoria Dennis said the operation should serve as a warning to “anyone who thinks that they can get away with taking, viewing, downloading or distributing indecent images of children”.

She said: “Every image is evidence that a child somewhere in the world is suffering abuse. Sharing these images and encouraging others to abuse children is a crime.

“This is an international problem and it’s important that local police forces work together with national and international agencies to address it.

“Hampshire Constabulary is dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable people in our communities and is investing significantly into a modern and well-resourced Public Protection Department.”

Anyone with suspicions about someone they believe is abusing children or sharing indecent images should call police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.