The Who’s Townshend Defends Pedophile ‘Research’
LONDON (Reuters) – British rock star Peter Townshend, who has admitted paying to view Internet child pornography, urged police on Monday to examine his computer to prove he only looked at the Web sites for research.
Townshend, guitarist with legendary band The Who, told Britain’s Sun newspaper he worked “tirelessly” to help the abused but had been foolish in trying to wage a one-man battle against child pornography.
“I would be prepared to have the hard drive of my computer analyzed by the police,” he was quoted as saying.
“It is important they are able to convince themselves that, if I did anything illegal, I did it purely for research. I am not a pedophile.”
Townshend admitted in a statement on Saturday that he had gone online to research child pornography after a newspaper reported that an unnamed rock star was being investigated by police as part of a massive child pornography inquiry.
The Operation Ore inquiry has resulted in more than 1,300 arrests in Britain, and is partly based on information supplied by American law enforcement agencies.
Townshend, 57, said he had yet to hear from police.
“I have looked at child porn sites maybe three or four times in all, the front pages and previews,” he told the Sun.
“But I have only entered once using a credit card and I have never downloaded.
“With hindsight, it was very foolish but I felt so angered about what was going on it blurred my judgment.”
Townshend said he was outraged when he first came across child pornography Web sites six years ago when surfing the Internet with his son Joseph, now 16.
“I have never purchased any forms of child pornography or wished to own any, ” he told the Sun.
“I saw the first awful photo by accident. It repelled me and shocked me to my very core.”
Roger Daltrey, lead singer with The Who, told the paper he believed Townshend was innocent.
“Pete was very angry about how easy it was to get hold of child pornography on the Internet.
“My gut instinct is that he is not a pedophile and I know him better than most.”
Model Jerry Hall, ex-wife of Rolling Stone Mick Jagger, also backed Townshend, saying he had advised her on how to prevent her children accidentally accessing child pornography sites.
“Peter Townshend is the least likely profile of a child abuser it is possible to construct and that is because he isn’t one,” she said in a statement reported by British media.
Police refused to comment on the matter, saying they did not discuss individual cases and were not able to confirm they were investigating the rock star.
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