Thread: AUA Admin/Teacher Arrested in London

Canadian charged with running sex tourism ring from Thai home

COLIN FREEZE AND JOSH WINGROVE
December 16, 2008

A Canadian charged with running a sex tourism business pairing international travellers with young boys at his Thailand home was arrested in Britain yesterday.

John Wrenshall, 62, was nabbed by British police and U.S. immigration officials at Heathrow Airport in London early yesterday morning. A Canadian citizen living near Bangkok, Mr. Wrenshall was wanted on a variety of U.S. charges laid in August.

The scale of the alleged sex tourism ring may be unprecedented in international law.

"This is a rarity - thankfully - there aren't many people like John Wrenshall [accused of ] running a sex tourism ring out of their homes in Thailand," prosecutor Lee Vartan told The Globe and Mail in an interview last night.

"There were boys as young as four, six, eight, nine .... there were a range of ages. Different clients preferred different ages," he said. The prosecutor added that "Wrenshall, from the perspective of federal law enforcement, really was the organizer of all this."

Mr. Vartan said it's anyone's guess how many sex tourists used the alleged Thai boy brothel, as well as how many boys were abused. He wouldn't elaborate on how police say the accused, who he said had resigned from a Thai university, gained access to so many children.

Indicted by a New Jersey grand jury in August, the criminal complaint against Mr. Wrenshall was unsealed only yesterday as he was arrested in Britain. U.S. authorities been working toward an extradition case from Thailand when they learned he was travelling to London.

According the U.S. Department of Justice charges, Mr. Wrenshall has run the business since at least 2000. He arranged trips to Thailand for foreigners "to engage in sexual acts with the boys, sometimes for weeks at a time," and was paid for the encounters, the department said in a release yesterday.

He told his customers that the money paid "would be used to support the boys," his indictment alleges.

His customers were allowed to photograph the abuse, and Mr. Wrenshall is said to have engaged in sex himself with the boys, according to U.S. court documents.

The investigation began in 2005, when Canadian investigators discovered explicit images online. They led to blurred photos of a man, which were sanitized and released by Interpol early this year.

The man was identified as an American named Wayne Nelson Corliss, who was arrested soon after.

Mr. Corliss pleaded guilty two months ago to charges stemming from participation in a sex tourism scheme.

"This individual engaged in among the most depraved conduct imaginable with helpless children," U.S. attorney Christopher Christie said at the time of Mr. Corliss's guilty plea.

Mr. Corliss identified Mr. Wrenshall to investigators.

During the hearing, Mr. Corliss testified that Mr. Wrenshall ran the business he participated in, and that he stayed in Mr. Wrenshall's home when committing the abuse. He also identified two other Americans who have been indicted and pleaded guilty last month.

In an indictment for Mr. Wrenshall's arrest, it's alleged that he would "receive money for obtaining young boys in Thailand for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts with individuals..." It is further alleged that "he, co-conspirator Wayne Nelson Corliss and others would ... sexually abuse the young Thai boys" and that "videos and pictures of the young boys being sexually abused were taken." It includes a list of still images, depicting in some cases more than one young boy involved in sex acts.

Mr. Wrenshall was held in Britain, pending extradition to the United States. He faces charges related to sex tourism and child pornography, a total of 18 charges, each carrying, if he's convicted, at least 10 years in prison.

Canada has a sex tourism law, effectively extending the arm of its sex laws to Canadians even if crimes are committed overseas, but it has been used only once since it was passed in 1996, said David Butt, a former prosecutor who is now the legal director of the Kids' Internet Safety Alliance.

"It's great, in theory," he said. "[But] there also has to be the ... much more expensive and difficult commitment to operationalizing that law."

He said that while some Western countries have investigators in other foreign nations that are typically problem spots for sex tourism, Canada "doesn't have the players to be in the game." The only conviction came when a Canadian man returned home with images on his own laptop, effectively making the case against him.

"When it comes to child abuse travel, or sex tourism as it's called, we're not as far ahead as we need to be," Mr. Butt said.

Mr. Corliss's image was released by Interpol in an effort to identify him, the same method used to arrest Canadian Christopher Paul Neil in Thailand last year.

Mr. Neil, originally from B.C., pleaded guilty earlier this year, was convicted of additional charges, and is serving a sentence of more than eight years in a Thai prison.

globeandmail.com: Canadian charged with running sex tourism ring from Thai home

I hope they hang the piece of shit.

Why do these wankers always end up in Bangkok? Police Check my ASS!

If he doesn't have a record back home, there's nothing to show up on a police check.

He's a Canadian citizen, but the charges were made against him in The U.S. So if he were to run a police check in his nation of origin, Canada, it would come up clean! Sick fuck!

Originally Posted by Mr. Computer

Why do these wankers always end up in Bangkok? Police Check my ASS!

Aparently he's been at it for some time. Since at least 2000. I don't know how stringent the police checks were back in 2000.



I worked with this freak a few years back. I knew he was a little odd, but had no IDEA how twisted he really was. I wonder where his new home will be? I'll bet he's praying for the Brits to keep him.

Originally Posted by Ramalamadingdong

If he doesn't have a record back home, there's nothing to show up on a police check.

He's a Canadian citizen, but the charges were made against him in The U.S. So if he were to run a police check in his nation of origin, Canada, it would come up clean! Sick fuck!

According to the article, Canada is lagging behind on tracking these guys. If he hadn't done "business" with the American Freak, he might still be operating.

Originally Posted by kingdomcome

globeandmail.com: Canadian charged with running sex tourism ring from Thai home



I hope they hang the piece of shit.

Me, too.

What branch was he in, in BKK?

"Administrator" leads one to believe he was at Ratchadamri, but he could have been a manager at one of the BKK branches in town.

Originally Posted by Benedict XVI

Me, too.

What branch was he in, in BKK?

"Administrator" leads one to believe he was at Ratchadamri, but he could have been a manager at one of the BKK branches in town.

Ratchadamri, Benny.

It keeps getting better...

Calgary man accused of organizing Thai boy sex ring

As for John, yes, a friend of mine worked under him and this is what he had had to say "John was a reliable and a very good teacher/manager but now that he's done this, he can burn in hell." Needless to say, I am of the same opinion as my friend, who by the way, still works for AUA.

Canadian Man Arrested in United Kingdom on U.S. Charges of International Sex Tourism

WASHINGTON – John Wrenshall, 62, was arrested today on charges of conspiring to travel in foreign commerce with the intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct with children; aiding and abetting sex tourism; and conspiracy to produce, production of, and distribution of child pornography, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Matthew Friedrich and Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Ralph J.Marra Jr. announced.

Wrenshall, a Canadian citizen living in Thailand, was arrested at London’s Heathrow International Airport early this morning by London’s Metropolitan Police Service (MET) with agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A provisional arrest warrant had been issued for Wrenshall through coordination with British officials, MET, ICE and the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs. Wrenshall is being detained pending extradition from the United Kingdom.

A grand jury in the District of New Jersey returned an indictment against Wrenshall, unsealed today upon his arrest, on Aug. 25, 2008. Wrenshall is charged with one count of conspiracy to engage in sex tourism, two counts of aiding and abetting sex tourism, one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography, seven counts of production of child pornography, and seven counts of distribution of child pornography. The charges stem from Wrenshall’s alleged involvement with U.S. citizens who traveled to Thailand to sexually abuse children and produce visual depictions of that abuse. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison for each count of sex tourism, a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of 20 years in prison for each count of child pornography production, and up to 15 years in prison for distribution of child pornography. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000 per count.

According to the unsealed indictment and court documents, Wrenshall had frequent access to Thai boys, some as young as six years old, at his Thailand home. As charged in the indictment, from at least as early as May 2000, Wrenshall helped arrange trips to his home during which U.S. citizens and others paid Wrenshall money to engage in sexual acts with the boys, sometimes for weeks at a time. Wrenshall’s customers were allowed to videotape and photograph their abuse. An indictment is merely a charge and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Vartan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and CEOS Trial Attorney Michael Yoon. The case was investigated by Interpol and ICE.

- U.S. Department of Justice Press Release / 2008-12-15

Undated resume photo of John C. Wrenshall, formerly of Calgary. Wrenshall, 62, now living in Thailand was arrrested December 15, 2008 at London's Heathrow Airport on his way to Canada and faces 18 counts related to pedophilia and pornography.

Originally Posted by Mr. Computer

Why do these wankers always end up in Bangkok? Police Check my ASS!

BKK or Pattaya it seems, and yes fucking bloody fantastic, he's been a teacher here as well.

just cut off their balls 'n' dicks, trow 'em in jail hope they get bumfucked everyday, much better than hanging them.

Originally Posted by kikiat

just cut off their balls 'n' dicks, trow 'em in jail hope they get bumfucked everyday, much better than hanging them.

Nah... throw him into the middle of an Isaan village with a sign around his neck illustrating his crimes. The punishment must fit the crime.

Serious loss of face.

Here are additional details from the Calgary newspaper.
Here's the Calgary newspaper report:


Man charged in Thai sex-tourism case convicted in Canada on similar charges

Former Calgarian lied about losing company, selling house to settle civil suits

TU THANH HA AND COLIN FREEZE
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
December 17, 2008 at 5:04 AM EST

A decade ago, a 50-something John Wrenshall went to Bangkok to teach English, stating in his résumé that he had left his Calgary software company to pursue "travel and personal development goals."
In fact, he had lost his company and had to sell his house and his car to settle civil suits by five Albertans who said he had molested them when they were minors.
Mr. Wrenshall, the 62-year-old Canadian charged this week with running a pedophile sex-tourism business in Bangkok, had already been convicted twice in Canada on sex-related charges involving young boys.
At least 20 boys as young as nine were indecently assaulted by Mr. Wrenshall, from 1961 to the mid 1980s, according to court evidence in Calgary.

A former scoutmaster and Anglican choir member at Calgary's Cathedral Church of the Redeemer, Mr. Wrenshall has a master's degree in sociology. He lured his victims on the pretense that he was conducting a study on preteen boys' sexuality, the court was told.
After receiving a suspended sentence in 1970, he undertook two years of counselling. After he reoffended, a judge sentenced him in 1997 to one year in jail and two years probation, saying that would be a "satisfactory deterrent."
The period he was behind bars is described on his CV as "study/travel in Thailand" while being a consultant for the firm he founded, Rinax Systems.
Afterward, Mr. Wrenshall got a teaching certificate from Vancouver's Columbia College and moved to Thailand in 1998.
Two years later, he was pimping young Thai boys, charging up to $400 a boy and recruiting his johns in an Internet chat room called Boy Love and Chat, according to testimony in a New Jersey case.
Mr. Wrenshall kept a connection with his country of origin, the evidence in the U.S. case alleges: The revenues were wired to a Canadian bank.
In Canada, news of the arrest shocked a former acquaintance who remembered him as a well-read, conscientious man with a fondness for his very old dog.
"This is a shocking revelation," said business consultant Vasile Zamfirescu. "Professionally, he was outstanding."
Already in 1991, Mr. Wrenshall had mentioned that he enjoyed travelling to Asia, Mr. Zamfirescu recalled.
A former software developer like Mr. Wrenshall would have had an edge over less cyber-savvy law-enforcement officials in Thailand, said Paul Gillespie, a retired Toronto police child-exploitation detective.
Mr. Wrenshall's arrest stunned the A.U.A. Language Center in Bangkok where he taught for 10 years.
"We never dreamed he would be involved in this kind of thing. He was very meticulous, and so polite and quiet," said school director Adul Pinsuvana, who remembered Mr. Wrenshall as a soft-spoken instructor who bowed in a respectful manner, similar to the way of Thai people.
Mr. Wrenshell was arrested after Norwegian police discovered computer pictures of a middle-aged man sexually abusing three boys.
The man, an American named Wayne Nelson Corliss, a minor actor often hired as a Santa Claus at children's parties, pleaded guilty this fall to sex charges and identified Mr. Wrenshall to investigators.
Lack of publicity, central record-keeping and international information-sharing is giving repeat offenders opportunities to get into trouble elsewhere, said Rosalind Prober, president of Beyond Borders, a Winnipeg-based group that aims to stop global child prostitution.
"The reason we're out of the loop in Canada is we don't have a national agency that is really overseeing these child sex tourism cases. They are falling through the cracks."
Charges against Mr. Wrenshall include aiding and abetting sex tourism and production of child pornography, for which he could be sentenced to life in prison. He was arrested at London's Heathrow International Airport and faces extradition to the United States.
With a report from Richard Ehrlich in Bangkok, special to The Globe and Mail