Witch Hunts for Porn

The former leader of Bournemouth council will face no further action after it was discovered pornography had been accessed on his work laptop.

The images were found on Councillor Stephen MacLoughlin's computer after a routine IT service in December 2008.

He faced a public hearing earlier where a panel ruled he was not acting in an official capacity when the incident was alleged to have occurred.

The panel will present its full findings next week.

Roy Wardle, chairman of the committee, said: Whilst the committee does not condone the use that Councillor MacLoughlin made of his laptop, our conclusion is that [he] was not conducting the business of the council at the time and therefore a breach of the code did not arise.

The leader of Bournemouth Borough Council, who is facing a public inquiry into adult pornographic images found on his council laptop, has resigned.

Councillor Stephen MacLoughlin said he took the decision, at a meeting of his local Tory party, to draw a line under recent events.

In his resignation statement, MacLoughin said he hoped his resignation would help repair his party's reputation [as a bunch of mean spirited politicians hell bent denying others the pleasures of life].

Councillors have defeated an attempt to pass a vote of no-confidence in Bournemouth council leader Cllr Stephen MacLoughlin.

There were boos and cries of welcome to Beijing and shame on you all you hypocrites from the public gallery as the verdict was delivered in a recorded vote at the meeting of Bournemouth full council yesterday.

Mean minded Cllr Anne Rey moved the motion following the revelation that porn was found on his council laptop computer – a matter which is now being investigated by the standards committee.

Cllr Rey told the meeting: I move this motion for the sake of fairness and what is right for this council and town. If this matter hadn't been leaked to the Echo none of us would have known about it. If this had been anyone else it would have been referred to the standards committee and dealt with accordingly, and probably the member wouldn't be sitting here now.

She also referred to 20 staff who were put on paid management leave after sending supposedly offensive emails, branding it double standards and said that Cllr MacLoughlin should stand down at least temporarily. She added: He should be setting an example. Cllr MacLoughlin has lost the authority and respect which his position commands.

Cllr Claire Smith said: This came as a great shock to many of us when we eventually learned of it. The damage has been done not just to Cllr MacLoughlin's reputation but all our reputations.

The recorded vote was 10 for, 24 against and eight not voting.

An independent investigation is to be carried out into four formal complaints concerning the conduct of Bournemouth's council leader. Top shelf adult material was found during a routine service on a council computer Cllr MacLoughlin had used. It has been accepted that this was downloaded outside of working hours.

Conservative councillor Stephen MacLoughlin had hoped to draw a line under his computer misdemeanour after receiving a vote of confidence from his cabinet colleagues and making a public apology in the Daily Echo.

But following a subsequent meeting an assessment sub-committee of the Standards Committee has decided that four separate complaints made against him warrant investigation.

Independent Cllr David Shaw, who was expelled from the Conservative group earlier this year, is among those who have complained following the discovery of pornographic material on Cllr MacLoughlin's council-owned laptop. Cllr Shaw alleges that the council leader has shown a lack of respect to his colleagues and the council .

Three members of the public have also complained including Nigel Gillespie, who claims that Cllr MacLoughlin has brought his office as councillor and the council into disrepute .

After considering the complaints, the assessment sub-committee decided that the allegations be referred to the deputy monitoring officer to arrange an investigation and prepare a report to the Standards Committee .