Essex Paedophile Admits Decade of Child Abuse Trips to South East Asia
A convicted paedophile from Essex has confessed to travelling repeatedly to South East Asia to sexually abuse children over ten years. Christopher Behn, 68, was caught in a Europe-wide sting involving Europol and Dutch authorities.
Networked Abuser Arrested at Gatwick Airport
Behn is part of a sinister network that flew across the globe abusing children. He was arrested at Gatwick Airport in February 2020 by the National Crime Agency (NCA) before boarding a flight to Vietnam. His arrest followed discovery of images linking him to a convicted Dutch associate involved in similar crimes.
Currently serving nine years for abusing 11 children in Myanmar in 2016, Behn’s electronic devices – many encrypted – revealed more horrifying evidence. NCA forensic teams recovered photographs showing him abusing children, and seized diaries detailing graphic accounts of his offences.
Chilling Travel Log Unveils Scale of Abuse
- Behn’s records show 18 trips to Vietnam since 2006 plus visits to Thailand, the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, India, and Myanmar.
- Dutch police recovered more abuse images from his associate’s devices, shared with the NCA.
- Investigators matched images, travel logs, diaries, and encrypted chats, proving at least 23 separate child abuse incidents abroad between 2008-2018 – beyond the Myanmar case.
- Chats on TOR and encrypted emails revealed detailed planning, victim payments, and strategies to evade law enforcement.
More Charges and Ongoing Investigation
In June 2023, Behn faced 23 charges of sexually assaulting children aged 6-11 in Vietnam. He pleaded guilty to 21 of those charges and awaits sentencing at Chelmsford Crown Court on 29 September 2023.
The NCA has also identified five more UK men linked to the same global abuse network. Investigations continue across Europe.
Phil Eccles, Operations Manager at the NCA, said: “Behn is a committed and prolific transnational child sex offender who dedicated years of his life to this criminal network.”
“They planned every trip around abusing children, using encrypted chats to hide their crimes.”
“Thanks to joint work with Europol and Dutch police, these monsters are being exposed. Protecting children remains our top priority.”
