Australian 'pedophile' charged for murder, rape of Filipino children

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Friday night filed criminal charges against a suspected Australian pedophile who have sexually abused children in the Philippines for over a decade.

Peter Gerard Scully, arrested by elements of the NBI Anti-Human Trafficking Division in Bukidnon last month, is accused of running a depraved pedophile ring and molesting dozens of children.

Investigators who filed the cases before the Department of Justice also said Scully, 52, may have abused even a one-year-old infant.

Scully, who has been dubbed "porno king," and his live-in partner, Liezyl Margallo, were also charged for murder and rape after remains of a 12-year-old girl was found in his former home in Surigao City.

Authorities said minors molested by the suspect also suffered from torture, and the abuses were recorded and uploaded in a pornographic website.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima hailed the arrest of Scully, who is wanted internationally for sex offenses, and vowed that the government will hunt down syndicates involved in the cybersex trade in the Philippines.

"Let notice be served to these criminal elements that the days of their child cybersex operations are numbered," De Lima said in a statement.