Pete Townshend, The Who's guitarist, claims he paid for child pornography to prove British banks were complicit in channelling profits from paedophile rings.
Talking about his arrest for child pornography, Townshend described his decision to pay $7 to download images of abused youngsters was 'insane' but said he had been trying to investigate the industry.
It is the first time Townshend has spoken publicly since he was cautioned by police and put on the sex offender's register in 2003.
The star insisted he was looking at the website only while conducting ''research'' for a campaign against internet porn involving children.
In an interview with The Times, which is serialising his memoir 'Who I Am', Townshend said: It's White Knight Syndrome. You want to be the one that's seen to be helping.
I had experienced something creepy as a child, so you imagine, what if I was a girl of nine or 10 and my uncle had raped me every week? I felt I had an understanding, and I could help.''
Townshend claimed he intended to show that child abuse has a financial chain that runs from Russian orphanages to British banks by paying a ã7 charge for a child pornography site, which he cancelled immediately.
Asked why he did not speak out sooner, he said: ''Because there was no sense of 'the truth will out'. I've had the misfortune to read online comments where I'm judged as a paedophile because I've got a big nose.''
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Anyone buying thiscrap excuse?
Talking about his arrest for child pornography, Townshend described his decision to pay $7 to download images of abused youngsters was 'insane' but said he had been trying to investigate the industry.
It is the first time Townshend has spoken publicly since he was cautioned by police and put on the sex offender's register in 2003.
The star insisted he was looking at the website only while conducting ''research'' for a campaign against internet porn involving children.
In an interview with The Times, which is serialising his memoir 'Who I Am', Townshend said: It's White Knight Syndrome. You want to be the one that's seen to be helping.
I had experienced something creepy as a child, so you imagine, what if I was a girl of nine or 10 and my uncle had raped me every week? I felt I had an understanding, and I could help.''
Townshend claimed he intended to show that child abuse has a financial chain that runs from Russian orphanages to British banks by paying a ã7 charge for a child pornography site, which he cancelled immediately.
Asked why he did not speak out sooner, he said: ''Because there was no sense of 'the truth will out'. I've had the misfortune to read online comments where I'm judged as a paedophile because I've got a big nose.''
Full article
Anyone buying this
