Three Scots have been arrested as part of a European-wide police investigation into a paedophile network which saw horrific child abuse images sold to more than 2500 customers across 19 countries.

THREE Scots have been arrested as part of a European-wide police investigation into a paedophile network which saw horrific child abuse images sold to more than 2500 customers across 19 countries.

The arrests in the Grampian and Strathclyde police force areas are among 46 made in the UK in the past five months as part of Operation Koala, which was triggered when a video made in Belgium showing a father raping his daughters, aged nine and 11, was discovered in Australia in 2006.

It led to a 15-month investigation into an Italian-run paedophile website which saw tailor-made videos of children being abused sold to clients including teachers, doctors, lawyers and computer experts, European prosecutors said.

The 23 victims, aged nine to 16, were mainly Ukrainian girls duped into performing sex acts with promises of lucrative modelling careers.

The operation has so far seen 92 people arrested across eight countries and more arrests are expected.

Details of the network's clients were passed to the UK's Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre in June.

A spokesman for the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency said: "During Operation Koala a 59-year-old man from Strathclyde was charged with offences under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. He is in custody and awaiting trial.

"Computers and other media were seized from two other addresses in the Strathclyde and Grampian police areas. Enquires in relation to these other seizures continue."

The two other men arrested in Scotland have been released without charge.

The original video was traced back to a 42-year-old Italian, Sergio Marzola, who was running a website selling more than 150 self-made, sexually explicit videos of girls.

Police discovered the business had been running for 18 months and generated considerable profits from up to 2500 customers worldwide.

The abusive material was mainly produced in the man's private studio with some material filmed in Belgium and the Netherlands. Marzola, 42, and the Belgian suspected of abusing his children were arrested last year.

Marzola made the videos in Ukraine, the Netherlands and Belgium. He was arrested last year in Bologna a day before he was due to move to Ukraine, where prosecutors say he ran a studio for producing the abuse films.

Police say he sold the videos online. Customers mainly paid via the internet. Those from countries with slow internet connections sent cash and were mailed DVDs. When police raided his home, they found nearly £50,000 in cash.

Some of Marzola's customers sent requests for particular poses and even slips of paper bearing their names for "models" in the videos to hold, said Menno Hagemeijer, of the serious crime department of pan-European police organisation Europol.

Customers paid extra to be present while films were shot, while others sent gifts of poetry and jewellery to their favourite girls, he added.

Many of those arrested and released have been charged. In France, 20 people have had preliminary charges filed against them.

After Marzola was arrested, the Italian authorities uncovered a hoard of customer details that were forwarded to other European forces.

Jim Gamble, chief executive of Ceop, said further arrests are expected. He said: "Yet again we see the technology used by paedophiles to facilitate child abuse turned against them as a result of co-ordinated and effective international law enforcement cooperation.

"Operation Koala uncovered the true meaning of online child abuse': in this case, the exchanging of images in which real children were subjected to horrific sexual abuse, often to order."

Grampian Police arrested a man on September 27 who was then released, a spokeswoman for the force said yesterday.