Townshend questioning postponed

[Ken in MD <seahawkman2001@xxxxxxxxx>]

>From Keets:

>>> "L. Bird" <pkeets@hotmail.com> 01/30/03 02:55PM
>>>

www.mtv.com/news/articles...lines=true

Police in London have pushed back the date that the
Who's Pete Townshend has 
to return for further inquiry regarding three
suspected child pornography 
offenses: possessing, making and distributing indecent
images of children.

The 57-year-old rock legend was due to be questioned
on Monday, but police 
have rescheduled the interrogation for sometime in
February, said a 
spokesperson for Scotland Yard, who would not reveal
whether the delay was 
at Townshend's request or if the police need more time
to gather evidence.

Townshend was arrested on January 13 as part of a
widespread crackdown on 
people who view child pornography over the Internet
(see "Pete Townshend 
Arrested In Child Porn Investigation").

In the days before his arrest, the guitarist
proclaimed his innocence, 
saying he paid to view a child porn site and browsed
through other free 
sites to conduct research for his upcoming
autobiography, which will include 
material about how he may have been abused in his
youth.

In the United States there is no legal defense for
viewing child 
pornography, but in England those who look at it for
"legitimate" reasons 
can be exempted.

Townshend continues to insist he has always been
appalled by child 
pornography, and that he has taken numerous steps in
the past to oppose it, 
including posting a lengthy diatribe on his Web site,
giving money to the 
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Children's Full Stop 
campaign and reporting child porn Web sites to the
Internet Watch Foundation 
(see "Pete Townshend Released On Bail, Expected To
Undergo Further 
Questioning").

In a post Wednesday on www.petetownshend.com,
Townshend wrote that he has 
procured evidence from the IWF that he thinks will
clear his name. A founder 
from the organization had previously claimed no
knowledge of having been 
contacted by the guitarist, but the IWF admitted it
made a mistake.

"I, of course, know that I did communicate with them
several times last 
year, and they have now supplied to us copies of my
e-mails to them, one in 
August and the rest in November," Townshend wrote. "My
lawyers have written 
to the founder of the IWF, Mark Stephens, who was
adamant that they had 
never heard from me, asking for an explanation."

In February, when Townshend again appears before the
police, he will either 
be "rebailed" (asked to return pending further
investigation), cleared or 
charged, police said. If charged for accessing child
porn, he could face 
five years in jail. However, if he's charged for
forwarding an e-mail 
containing such material he could face up to 10 years
behind bars.
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