Dutch paedophile Web site cannot show royal photos

AMSTERDAM, Nov 1 (Reuters) A Dutch court has banned a Web site sympathetic to paedophiles from showing photographs of child members of the royal family, including the three-year-old heiress to the throne Princess Amalia.

Last week the Dutch government said it would seek a court injunction after pictures of Amalia and her cousins Lucas and Anna appeared on the Web site of the Dutch paedophile association Martijn.

The court today said the Web site was violating the princess's privacy and the right to control how pictures of her were used.

''Our royal family has produced a whole new generation of princes and princesses. How fortunate!'' a caption had read on the site that promotes more social acceptance of paedophilia.

The pictures, including an official portrait of Amalia in a summer dress, were removed from the Web site after the government statement on Friday.

However, the association argued it was not responsible for the content placed on members' forums and it could not prevent members from uploading photos. It could only remove the photos afterwards.

The court ruled Martijn had to take precautionary measures to prevent pictures of young royals appearing on the Web site in the future.

A government spokesman today said that following the ruling, other parents could take on the Web site and force it to remove pictures of their children.

Possession and distribution of child pornography is illegal in the Netherlands and the Dutch government is also preparing laws to outlaw watching child porn on websites without downloading pictures.

Last year, members of the Martijn group set up a political party to campaign for a cut in the age of consent from 16 to 12, and the legalisation of child pornography. The party failed to get enough support to run in the national election.

Amalia is the eldest daughter of Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and is second in the line to the throne after her father.

REUTERS RJ BD2311