A Hamilton, Ont., woman was arrested Thursday for allegedly taking pornographic photographs of her children and e-mailing them to a pen pal abroad.

The 46-year-old woman was charged with making, distributing and possessing child pornography, Hamilton Police said Thursday.

"The suspect was not at home at the time of the warrant but was arrested at her place of employment in Toronto shortly after," a police statement said.

The Catholic Children's Aid Society was informed of the situation and three children in the woman's east-end home were removed.

The accused will remain unidentified in order to protect the identities of the children.

Police said their child exploitation unit was made aware of a 50-year-old man arrested on Jan. 22 in the U.K. by Metropolitan Police in London. He was charged with possessing "indecent images of children."