Rock legend Pete Townshend is under investigation for having kiddie porn on his computer. Townshend claims that he was doing “research” on pedophilia for a book and he adamantly denies that he is a pedophile.
I really, really hope he’s telling the truth. Say it ain’t so Pete, say it ain’t so
Ah, the old research idea.
Sorry, officer, I was just doing research for my book on methamphetamine production/pipe bomb engineering/bestiality/…
Well, this story just broke. Let’s hold off on any judgements until more facts become clear.
Well Pete can use the old research dodge all he wants, his ass is grass now. No one will listen. Even if it’s the truth some people have zero tolerance for this and will make his life hell.
Its a good thing he didn’t “murder” a dog too, ain’t that right DtC.
Touche. 
What the hell is wrong with people? I know it’s a breaking story, and nothing has been proven, but it seems like every other week some celebrity is found to be allegedly a paedophile.
Seeing as someone already mentioned it: what the hells is wrong with that cop that shot the family pet? If cops shot dead every dog that was (god forbid) running in their direction, there’d be a lot of dead dogs around. This story made me feel sick.
Tommy didn’t exactly champion child abuse, so I’m inclined to believe Townshend’s take.
FWIW, Townshend has done a lot of work for charities that help abused children. He has also been public about his interest in both understanding and preventing child sexual abuse and pornography. Some time ago he wrote an article on his own website about how horrified he’d been to turn up kiddie porn links when trying to find information on how to help children in Russian orphanages, and has since then posted several comments about ways to prevent the spread of kiddie porn on the Internet.
Given all this, I do not find it difficult to believe that he really was studying the subject of child pornography with no questionable intentions or motivations. If that is the case, I hope his name is cleared quickly. Of course, if he is proven to be some kiddie porn fiend I hope they lock him up for a long time, but that just doesn’t seem likely to me.
It’s too easy to become a pedophile these days. Spend a few minutes downloading from a newsgroup and tada!-you’re a peophile. Perv’s never had it so easy. I’m curious to find out what steps lead the police to search his files in the first place. Does anyone know?
I hope its not true either, for what its worth.
peophile=pedophile, I guess the 1st one has to do with golden showers.
If this is the case:
CNN
Why would he need kiddie porn, just to compare/contrast the differences? I’d assume that kiddie porn wouldn’t be much different than adult porn, but, then as Iris Dement says 'let the mystery be". I’d much resolve to not know the intricacies of kiddie porn and research it at the library or talk with police than sit through videos or pictures of it.
He used his credit card to gain access to this site which the FBI busted and started arresting judges, doctors, policemen and just the average dirtbag.
here is a troubling picture of townsend and CONVICTED pedophile gary Glitter who he toured with. I hope it is just a coincidence. God, I hope he is telling the truth.
He may very well be a paedophile, but he was convicted of possesion of indecent images of children. He didn’t actually molest any children.
If the News of the World digs up a photo of Glitter and Townsend does that creates guilt by association?
The picture looks like it was taken at some charity event before the Glitter revelations.
I’d bet the NOTW would love to imply it was some kiddy porn lovers convention.
hey look! Its a bicture of Gary Glitter with Roger Daltry, the lead singer of the Who! Is he a pederast also?
http://www.garyglitter.8m.com/ggsound.html
and Right Said Fred! they are in the same room! Kiddy Fiddlers the lot of em!
Christ! Its Convicted Pedophile Gary Glitter with notorious nonces The Spice Girls!
http://www.garyglitter.8m.com/gspice.jpg
I’m hoping that Pete Townshend’s story is true. If not, then I hope the law deals with him correctly. But I think the News of the World and its ilk will have him tarnished for the rest of his life regardless of the outcome.
Hoo, boy, this is absolutely horrible. And yes, God Almighty I do hope Pete’s story is the truth…
… but even then it may not be worth sh*t, if possession of CP is one of those “strict liability” laws where it doesn’t matter what you “believed” or “meant”, but the very fact that it is there is all that matters. I know that in the USA there has been at least one case of a journalist researching an article on CP who was busted and convicted for actually downloading.
Damn, this is one bad trip.
(Though in any case, after the Gary Glitter case, wouldn’t anyone half sensible have realized it’s a really, really, really BAD IDEA to get CP files into your computer, or CP sites into your browser history?)
And he was just kicked out of Cambodia (known as a haven for child molesters). A coincidence, we would hope.
At the very least, Pete, knowing Glitter’s history of being busted for downloading child porn, you were pretty damn stupid.*
*I would like to believe you are not morphing into Wicked Uncle Ernie.
Gary Glitter must be kicking himself.
Both exceptionally good points. I too thought the NOTW was being incredibly manipulative.
According to Sky News, Townsend informed the police of what he was doing, though it’s not clear whether he did this before or after accessing the site.
BTW, Twisty, there are some allegations of molestation against Glitter from the 70s in the UK that were made on a Channel 4 documentary, but the alleged victims couldn’t press charges due to the length of time between the alleged events and the time at which they were reported to police.
So I guess “Fiddle About” was a first-person confession?
gobear, Townshend says that it was a kind of first person account, but not in the way you imply.