Former Labour MP guilty of child porn offence
To Ipswich Crown Court, where Labour MP Eric Joyce, 59, has admitted making an indecent ‘Category A’ image of a child. Joyce was Labour MP for Falkirk between 2000 and 2012. He was Labour shadow minister for Northern Ireland. He left the party to serve as an independent. Joyce was also major in the British Army. He will be sentenced next month.
Pretty much every report includes the same phrase from the presiding judge. The story has broken over the newswires, so the shared phrasing and quotes are to be expected. (Although the news is not yet on The Times website; Mr Joyce is an a relationship with a Times columnist). Judge Emma Peters said that the single 51-second movie, found on a device, “depicts a number of children. Some are quite young, one is said to be 12 months old. Clearly a category A movie.”
How can this be editorialised? So much has been written about alleged child abuse in high places that many publications could be tempted to throw all manner of allegations into the blender and restart old conspiracy theories. Let’s hope not. Let’s stick to the facts:
She [Judge Peter] said Joyce, who appeared at court in person, “says he accesses it via an email which he says was a spam email”.
“At the time he was drinking heavily and he has now undergone work with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation and a psychotherapist,” the judge said.
She ordered that a report be prepared before Joyce is sentenced on August 7.
Judge Peters warned the former shadow minister, of Worlingworth, Suffolk, that the offence crosses the custody threshold.
“It’s going to be a question of whether it’s immediate or suspended,” she said.
“You will be required to sign paperwork today acknowledging that you are immediately on the sex offenders register,” she said.
The Lucy Faithfull Foundation says of itself:
The Lucy Faithfull Foundation is the only UK-wide child protection charity dedicated solely to preventing child sexual abuse. We work closely with frontline workers and professionals such as police officers, social workers and education staff to ensure children are as safe as they can be.
More to follow on the man who in the past has been nicked for drink driving, abusing an airport worker and assaulting four fellow politicians in a House of Commons bar.
Posted: 7th, July 2020 | In: News Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
