Allen escapes jail over child porn

TIM ALLEN, husband of celebrity chef Darina Allen, walked free from a court yesterday after pleading guilty to possessing obnoxious images of naked children.

Shielded by his wife and four grown-up children, pony-tailed Mr Allen remained silent as he left Midleton District Court.

Judge Michael Pattwell said a frenzy of pre-trial publicity, together with Mr Allen’s guilty plea, influenced the court’s decision to substitute a 240 hours’ community service order for a nine month jail sentence.