A six-year old boy has been rescued from an Irish home after an EU-wide investigation into paedophilia.

Gardai raided a property in Tipperary after examining online images, and placed the child into the care of the state.

Gardai were acting on information received by European police agency Europol last December after communication was made with the Garda Paedophile Investigations Unit.

Detectives who had examined the online images and were involved throughout the investigation identified the rescued boy as the child who appeared in a number of disturbing images and videos online.

The rescue came as a result of an emergency care order being granted at a district court hearing in Tipperary last week.

This order was granted to gardai and social workers allowing them to take the boy away from the adults he was living with – and also allowed an urgent medical examination.

Gardai contacted the offices of a Child and Family Agency social worker on March 24, informing them that a house would be searched due to concerns that a child living in the house may have suffered sexual abuse.

Online Editors