Saturday, November 10, 2007

Conservative Porn councillor's five-year ban

Kenneth Leadbeater
Kenneth Leadbeater was a council leader when he accessed child porn
A former council leader who downloaded indecent images of children from the internet has been banned from public office for five years.

Kenneth Leadbeater, of South Darenth, Kent, was given a three-year community rehabilitation order in September 2006 after admitting 14 offences.

Now the Standards Board for England has said he will be unable to stand for any council elections until November 2012.

Leadbeater resigned as Dartford council leader after police questioned him.

He pleaded guilty in June 2006 to 14 counts of making indecent images of children, immediately stepping down as a Conservative councillor for Heath ward in Dartford.

The five-year ban reflects the severity of Mr Leadbeater's behaviour
Sir Anthony Holland

The Standards Board for England is responsible for "promoting high ethical standards and investigating allegations that members' behaviour may have fallen short of the required standards".

Following an investigation into Leadbeater's conviction, it decided he had "brought his office and authority into disrepute".

The Standards Board said that even though the child porn images were accessed outside of work and at his home, the fact he had used a council-owned computer "brought his conduct out of his private capacity".

Chairman Sir Anthony Holland said: "The five-year ban reflects the severity of Mr Leadbeater's behaviour.

"The public elect council members to positions of trust, and when that trust is abused they expect councillors to be brought to account."

Police found 320 indecent images of boys on the computer.

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