Child sex advocate guilty of smuggling photos
Thomas O’Carroll, 56, originally from Carlow, was convicted of three charges of being knowingly concerned in the importation of indecent material by a jury at London's Southwark Crown Court.
The jury was unable to reach verdicts on four similar charges, which were ordered to lie on file by the judge.
O'Carroll, who lives in Leamington Spa and is a founding member and chairman of the Paedophile Information Exchange, claimed the photographs were art and were “traditional street photography”. The court heard how the pictures were discovered by HM Customs officers at Heathrow Airport last year in a random search of air freight. The property was being shipped to Britain from Qatar, where O'Carroll had lived.
Customs officials found three albums of photographs containing 94 pictures, 54 of which featured images of children. After the case, Customs officer Mark McCormack confirmed O'Carroll was a founder member of PIE, which campaigned for sex with children to be legalised.
O'Carroll was jailed for two years in 1982 for conspiracy to corrupt public morals. Sentencing was adjourned until next month.
Meanwhile, in a separate case, Birmingham Six solicitor Ivan Geffen was acquitted of child sex offences.
Mr Geffen, 81, who represented two members of the Birmingham Six, has learned that the last three of 11 original charges against him have been dropped.
The Walsall, Birmingham, man was accused of indecent assaults on children aged between six and fourteen between 1975 and 1998.
He denied all charges and told Leicester Crown Court he had never indecently assaulted a child.
In June at the same court, he was acquitted of seven charges of indecent assault and one of indecency involving a child, but faced a retrial on the remaining three indecent assault charges.
Mr Geffen said he felt great relief at his acquittal. “With my professional experience, I know people are sometimes wrongly accused.”
Mr Geffen, who has a practice in Birmingham, is representing Birmingham Six member Gerry Hunter in a claim for compensation.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
