Child welfare
Basque Country police arrest paedophile in possession of more than 110,000 photos and videos of childrenThe 71-year-old suspect has been in prison twice before: in 2011 for a grooming offence and in 2014 for a child pornography offence
Añádenos en Google Police searching the home of the 71-year-old suspect in Azpeitia (Basque Country). (Ertzaintza)L. Ochoa
21/05/2026 a las 16:37h.The Ertzaintza (the Basque Country police) arrested on Tuesday a 71-year-old man from the Gipúzcoa province for possession of child pornography material.
The police have previously arrested the suspect twice: in 2011 for a grooming offence and in 2014 for another child pornography offence.
The investigation began this month, when the police learnt that the suspect might be in possession of photos and videos of minors.
The police identified the suspect and discovered that he had profiles and access codes in various paedophile networks for exchange of pornographic content.
With authorisation from the court, the police went to his home with a search warrant. There, they found several electronic devices in different rooms of the flat containing a total of 110,000 files with photos and videos of pornographic nature. The total storage space for this material amounts to 280 gigabytes, according to investigators.
The police charged the suspect with possession of child sexual abuse material. He appeared before the court on Thursday morning.
Meanwhile, the Ertzaintza continue their investigation to identify the victims who appear in the images and other suspects.