Actor Guilty On Child Porn Charges
Actor Chris Langham is behind bars after being found guilty of downloading child porn.
The 58-year-old claimed he was researching a paedophile character for a TV drama and said he was trying to make sense of the sexual abuse he suffered as a child.
Judge Philip Statman said he had viewed such serious indecent images of children that the custody threshold had been "well and truly passed".
The father of five - whose three sons from his first marriage were in court - was acquitted of indecently assaulting an underage girl who claimed he took her virginity in a London hotel when she was 14.
Police raided his home in November 2005 as part of Operation Ore and seized three computers.
On them were videoclips entitled "Kiddy 11-year-old", "13-year-old preteen underage" and "preteen sex education". Other files were called "Lolita" "incest" "rape" "whore" and "hussy".
Langham, who won a BAFTA for his role in the BBC drama The Thick Of It, admitted looking at child porn but said he had pleaded not guilty because he wanted to make a public declaration that he was not a paedophile.
Outside court his solicitor, Angus McBride, read a statement on his behalf: "I'm absolutely delighted my name has been cleared of all the charges I have consistently denied. "I have been found guilty of charges I made admissions to from the moment of my first arrest."
Detective Inspector Derek Cuff of Kent Police, said: "During the course of the trial, the jury had to view some images - that had to be selected carefully - but what they saw and heard in evidence is harrowing and disturbing enough for anyone. "I think this itself puts some measure of perspective on the level of child abuse we were dealing with here."
The judge adjourned sentencing until September 14.
Adapted from: http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-1278369,00.html
