Who star link to pedophile probe Saturday, January 11, 2003 Posted: 1821 GMT RICHMOND, England -- Rock legend Pete Townshend has issued a public statement denying being a paedophile after his name was linked with a police Internet p*rn inquiry. But The Who guitarist and song-writer did admit studying child p*rnography for research into a campaign against it. He told reporters on Saturday that he told police what he was doing. Standing on the doorstep of his mansion in Richmond, in south-west London, the Press Association reported the 57-year-old star as saying: "I am not a paedophile. I think paedophilia is appalling." Townshend, who is married with children, continued: "To fight against paedophilia, you have to know what's out there. "I have been involved in a campaign against paedophilia on the Internet but it fizzled out. "I think I may have been sexually abused as a child and I was doing research into it. I've been writing my life story and the research is for a book. "I've been in touch with Scotland Yard to tell them what I was doing. I have contacted them but no police officers have contacted me. "I am waiting for the police to talk to me but they haven't been round. I have done a lot of work on paedophilia and my Web site has highlighted it. "I have looked into the abuse that children have suffered in Chechnya and Kosovo and the portrayal of these children on the Internet and it appals me. "I was worried this might happen and I think this could be the most damaging thing to my career." The Press Association reporter told CNN that Townshend appeared "earnest and serious" during the interview.
Hmmmmmm... I think he's being honest. I hope so. Regardless, he must have been an idiot to have done that considering how it COULD be percieved. I looked at the British press today and he is being hammered. I guess, if he was researching a book, then he should have evidence right away to show people. ie, here's my first draft where I talk about my past, here's chapter 4 where I researched the net. If he has that...he should release it immediately. Otherwise, his reputation has just gone as low as it can go.
He may have been abused? He doesn't know? Besides that, what excuse is, "uhh, I was doing research"? Child p*rn is illegal; I don't know the law in England on it but it is probable that he's breaking the law if he's looking at child p*rn regardless of his reasons. Anyway, good luck Pete.
from CNN website: NEWS ALERT Rock star Pete Townshend arrested in London on child p*rnography-related charges. Details soon.
edit: removed lame song title joke when I read he was possibly involved in generating images. If that's true, . Will it affect listening to their excellent albums?
Child p*rn: Police arrest Who star LONDON, England -- Police in London have arrested Pete Townshend, guitarist with The Who, on suspicion of a series of offences connected with child p*rnography -- including the making of indecent images. Townsend, 57, was arrested at his London home on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children, suspicion of making indecent images of children and suspicion of incitement to distribute indecent images of children, Scotland Yard said. He was taken into custody at a south-west London police station, police said. A Scotland Yard spokesman told the Press Association: "He has been arrested under the Protection of Children Act 1978 on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children, suspicion of making indecent images of children and on suspicion of incitement to distribute indecent images of children." Townsend had earlier admitted visiting a Web site advertising child p*rnography. He said he was not a paedophile and had only used the site once as research for an autobiography dealing with his own suspected childhood sexual abuse. He made the admission on Saturday after a newspaper reported that detectives were investigating an unidentified British rock star for downloading child p*rnography. The spokesman said that two arrest warrants were executed at separate addresses in Richmond, southwest London, on Monday. "One address is a business address and the other is residential. A number of items, including computers, have been removed from the residential address for forensic examination." On Monday, a group of police officers arrived at Townshend's London home, one carrying a plastic crate carrying packaging to store potential evidence. The rock star was at home, and his lawyer, John Cohen, told reporters they were meeting police. "It's by mutual agreement. We approached the police this morning and said that we should meet," Cohen said. A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman at the scene said the police, including forensic officers, had obtained a search warrant. "There will be a thorough and detailed search of the premises. It will take as long as necessary," she said. British police have arrested 1,300 suspects, including a judge, magistrates, dentists, hospital consultants and a deputy school headmaster, as part of Operation Ore, a crackdown on people who view child p*rnography on the Internet. Fifty police officers also have been arrested, and eight of them have been charged with offences. Operation Ore is the British arm of an FBI-led operation that traced 250,000 suspected paedophiles around the world through credit card details used to pay for downloading child p*rnography. The names of British suspects were passed on to police here by U.S. investigators. Townshend's friend, model Jerry Hall, said Sunday that Townshend was an "avid supporter" of child welfare charities and had spoken at length about the dangers of child p*rnography on the Internet. The star said he never downloaded the material and only entered a site once using a credit card purely as part of research for a book he plans to publish later this year. (Profile) In his statement, Townshend said: "I am not a paedophile. I have never entered chat rooms on the Internet to converse with children. "I have, to the contrary, been shocked, angry and vocal (especially on my Web site) about the explosion of advertised paedophilic images on the Internet." (Statement) Under UK law, it is a criminal offence punishable by up to up to five years imprisonment for anyone to possess indecent photographs or pseudo-photographs of children. (The law) But an accused person has a defence if he can show that he had a legitimate reason for having the picture.
<blockquote><hr>Townshend's friend, model Jerry Hall, said Sunday that Townshend was an "avid supporter" of child welfare charities and had spoken at length about the dangers of child p*rnography on the Internet. <hr></blockquote> Townsends original statement Saturday is here. http://europe.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/01/11/uk.townshend.statement/index.html
I only hope he's telling the truth. The work he's done for the Maryville Academy in Chicago (troubled teens) is over-the-top generous. Because that matters and stuff.
if was doing "research" shouldn't he have gone through the cops first? bad, bad judgement on his part if it was "research"
it shouldn't... Gary Glitter has been convicted for this sort of thing and his stuff still gets played and listened to at Sports arenas around the world!! i guess whether or not it affects you is a personal thing... separate the music and the man and you'll be ok, or not... its subjective.
This is really upsetting. First a Bee Gee dies and now one of the Guitar Gods is in jail for a what I consider an unforgivable offense, if he's found guilty that is. They're saying now that he's accused of making child p*rn and intent to distribute. Man, I hope this isn't true.
thanks, RH. It's true that I've tried to take a "separation" stand when it comes to the work of Woody Allen, because I love his films, but I think he's kind of scummy. Still, viewing child p*rnography seems so different to me than making the damn stuff. Hope it ain't true.
At the very least, he used very poor judgement. Who, in their right mind, would enter credit card info on that type of site. You have to be pretty dumb to do that. That stuff doesn't just go away. There are other ways to research this. We can all guess all this stuff is on the Internet. Do we actually have to see it to do research? Does his book plan on using photos from this site? Please explain how this helps research. It's not like they write lengthy articles and bios on the children to go with their pictures. This is just sad.
My sentiments exactly. There is only one reason people enter credit card data on a website like that, and it isn't "research". Very, very sad. I will always be a huge Who and Pete Townshend fan, but this is very, very sad.
