Former Wirral Conservative councillor branded “despicable” for down-loading child pornography

Mar 25 2009 by Chloe Griffiths, Wallasey News

A FORMER Conservative councillor was branded “despicable” by his own daughter after he was caught downloading more than 1,800 obscene images of children.

While his wife and two daughters slept, Ian McKellar, 58, scoured pornographic websites for pictures of adolescent girls in erotic poses.

Liverpool Crown Court heard the former chairman of West Wirral Conservatives, and former Claugh-ton representative, was thought of as a “pillar of society”, but led a secret life poring over indecent images.

Judge David Aubrey, QC, told McKellar, who was on the board of governors for two schools: “I can put it no better than how one of your daughters described you – ‘despicable’.”

Placing McKellar under supervision for three years and ordering him to attend a sex offenders’ programme, Judge Aubrey added: “You have brought shame and disgrace upon yourself, and shame, disgrace, embarrassment, consternation and bewilderment upon your wife and children.”

Prosecutor Robert Jansen told the court police raided McKellar’s home on Sandy Lane, West Kirby, on May 11, 2006, and seized two computers and three disks. A total of 1,831 indecent images were uncovered.

About 95% of the images were of girls aged 12 to 14 in erotic poses.

The vast majority of the pictures were graded as the lowest in severity, but there were also 46 in category four, the second highest level.

McKellar, an auctioneer at Kingsley Auction house, in Hoylake, pleaded guilty to eight offences of making indecent images. His barrister, Arthur Gibson, said McKellar had not intended to see more serious pornographic images and had not stored the pictures after viewing them.