August 2008

Child porn councillor spared jail

A tory ex-deputy mayor who sexually assaulted a teenage girl and kept child porn while a member of police authority was spared jail.

Ben Redsell, 29, admitted assaulting the 19-year-old at her home after a night out in Colchester, Essex, last August and also 10 child offences.

Police had found indecent images of children, which dated from 2000, at his home in Melton, Suffolk.

Redsell, who quit as deputy mayor of nearby Woodbridge and Suffolk Police Authority when he was charged, got a three-year community order at Norwich crown court and put on the sex offenders’ register. He is also banned from working with children.

Claude Knights at charity Kidscape said he did not get the term “he deserved”.