August 2009

Child porn ex-Mayor escapes jail term

A former mayor escaped jail today after being convicted of possessing and distributing child pornography.

Stewart Brown, 60, admitted 21 offences of possessing indecent images of children and one of distributing pictures.

At Leeds Crown Court today he was given a nine-month prison sentence which was suspended for two years.

 In 2006 he was mayor of Hebden Royd in West Yorkshire and was also a Labour councillor on Calderdale Council, the court heard.

At a hearing in July, Brown, of Nutclough, Hebden Bridge, admitted all the charges, some of which were said to relate to images of girls as young as three.