An Australian national was arrested by the police in the Black Sea city of Varna on November 7 2008 on charges of paedophilia, Varna police said in a statement on November 10 2008.

The statement said that the Canberra-born Australian medic, aged 35, arrived in Bulgaria earlier in the month, the police said. This was not his first visit to the country and the town. He was arrested in an apartment on Dragan Tsankov street in the city.

He was found in the company of two under-aged boys, the police said, with local media alleging that they were from the nearby Roma neighbourhood. During the arrest, police officers seized a photo camera, a video camera and a number of CDs. Local media reported that police said that they had found sex toys and stimulants.

The statement did not say what was the content of the CDs, but it did say that on November 4-7, the Australian had produced pornographic materials and had sexual contact with three under-aged boys.

The alleged paedophile was first detained for 72 hours, but the Varna Regional Court decided to extend the arrest. The court decided that because the Australian entered the country with a tourist visa, he might try to leave the country if granted bail. He can appeal against the court decision on November 18 2008.

If found guilty on the charges of having sexual contact with minors and of creating a pornographic network, the Australian could face up to six years imprisonment.