Pete Townshend's Sex Offender Past Threatens Super Bowl Gig

The Who are scheduled to play during the half-time show at the Super Bowl in Miami, but child abuse advocacy groups are urging the NFL to drop the act because of an incident in guitarist Pete Townshend's past.

Townshend was arrested in 2003 for accessing child pornography online several years before. He pled guilty, claiming he was doing research for his autobiography and revisiting memories of childhood sex abuse, and was not charged. Still his name remained in the UK's sex offender registry for five years.

Now 1500 of these fliers have been distributed to homes and schools in the Miami area.

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Comments

[WinceCarter]

11:41 AM on 02/05/2010

Dirty Uncle Ernie aka Peter Townshend "can't explain" why he likes to "fiddle about" with kiddy porn.
He said he was "doing research" for a book on the subject: WHERE IS THE BOOK? As for the fact that nothing was found on his computers, the police gave him ample time between their first inquiry into this and when they actually took his computers away for Peter to have them wiped clean by an expert. The whole thing was a little too cosy. Anyone else would be laughed at with an excuse like the one Peter gave. The dog ate my homework, too. There is obviously one standard for an ageing, RICH rock legend and another for everyone else.

[NoSillyName]

05:30 PM on 02/07/2010

The song you are referring to was written by John Entwhistle.

Your comments reflect your ignorance of the facts.

[WinceCarter]

08:00 PM on 02/07/2010

How does a song by Entwistle change the facts of Peter's noncery?

[jmengr]

04:05 PM on 02/02/2010

Why do we as a society tolerate the hate and intolerance of religious morons like the POC that get off on pointing their fingers at everything they don't like, no matter how destructive? When will we grow up and learn to switch these idiots on 'ignore'?

[Radical Centrist]

01:34 AM on 02/02/2010

Pete Townshend was never charged, he was never tried, and he was never convicted of a crime. The police x-rayed his life for four months, seized all his computers, searched his home and offices, pulled his credit card records and so on--and they eventually admitted they had found no evidence to justify laying a charge against him. A police Detective Chief Inspector even came forward to confirm Townshend had discussed his online research with him at the time, and the Phoenix Survivors child abuse support group investigated on their own and called for Townshend to be cleared. However sinceTownshend told police of his own free will that he had accessed one website as part of his research, under British law they were able to issue him a "Caution" and that put his name on the sex offenders list. All this information is available online for those willing to take the time to look it up, it's too bad some people choose to make assumptions that Townshend confessed to downloading child porn and so on, because that is flat-out false.

[amypost]

12:00 PM on 01/31/2010

Okay so if they're warning residents that he's coming does that mean they're going to put out flyers for the ones who live down the street too? This is crazy, there weren't any charges, he wasn't caught doing anything http://movies09.com/2010/01/28/pete-townshend-proves-that-registered-sex-offenders-can-still-rock/ physical and he's had no issues since then, so what's the problem?

[Lee Bird]

11:01 PM on 01/30/2010

Townshend has always been known as a passionate intellectual, and apparently got into trouble researching an anti-child pornography campaign back in the early oughties. He was investigated by the police and warned after they found nothing illegal in his possession, but because of this, he ended up on the U.K.’s sex offender register for five years. Because there were never any charges and no conviction, Townshend apologized and was presumed innocent, continuing his music career without any serious speed-bumps.

Child Abuse Watch is run by Evin Daly and funded by his wife's Laura Daly Foundation. When The Who was announced as the Super Bowl band, Daly started up this campaign in a big way. We might think he really believes in what he’s doing--except it turns out he’s registered with an Internet content provider and is paid for putting out articles on his own activities. Every one of the headlines that comes from his content gives him a paycheck.

Now it looks like he could be harassing Townshend, the NFL and the Super Bowl sponsors purely to profit from his articles on his own campaign. Could this be a new low in journalism: using the cause of child sexual abuse for personal gain? It reflects very poorly on the Laura Daly Foundation, too, making me wonder how much of the donations go to pay the Daly's salaries. Following the money trail is always so interesting.

References:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/187999/evin_daly.html

[the964kid]

01:52 PM on 01/30/2010

I'm not understanding some of the sentiment on here. Townshend confessed and pled guilty to these crimes and as a result was a registered sex offender for 5 years. I'd also point out that the common defense to those trafficking in child pornography on the internet is that they were 'doing research.' Do the people here who want to give Townshend a pass on this also want to extend that to all the other sex offenders who made the same claim Townshend did? Honestly, if Townshend was not a member of a legendary band would anybody here be saying things like:

Andman0121: 'Jeez, who cares?'

Stevefromkelso: 'Petes guitar is in a lot more danger than any child.....'

If Townshend was innocent and believed in his innocence then why did he plead guilty to the charges? He certainly could afford a robust defense. He did break the law, and I think people shouldn't excuse that. Child pornography is disgusting and should never be taken lightly even when concerning a rock star like Townshend.

[dunedin]

06:05 PM on 01/30/2010

He did NOT plead guilty. The report above is WRONG. He was never charged with any wrongdoing. He admitted accessing a site ONCE and he reported it to the Internet Watch Foundation, a fact that the IWF denied at the time and then admitted when Pete produced the evidence. Pete did not download a single image. Due to British law, as he had admitted accessing the site, he was placed on the watch list. Had the investigation been allowed to run its course, no action would have been taken.

[dunedin]

06:14 PM on 01/30/2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2003/may/08/arts.ukcrime

[RachelisCole]

12:19 AM on 01/31/2010

He was doing research because he was molested as a child.

[Andman0121]

01:36 PM on 01/30/2010

Jeez, who cares? He didn't do anything to a minor nor has there been evidence of him pursuing such a desire. These far right wing whackos are a fringe

[quasar]

11:28 AM on 01/30/2010

If I were Pete I would play Uncle ernie at the Super Bowl -

I'm your wicked Uncle Ernie
I'm glad you won't see or hear me
As I fiddle about
Fiddle about
Fiddle about !

Your mother left me here to mind you
Now I'm doing what I want to
Fiddling about
Fiddling about
Fiddle about!

Down with the bedclothes
Up with your nightshirt!
Fiddle about
Fiddle about
Fiddle about !

Fiddle about
Fiddle about
Fiddle about !

You won't shout as I fiddle about
Fiddle about
Fiddle about
Fiddle about !
Fiddle about
Fiddle about
Fiddle about !
Fiddle about
Fiddle about
Fiddle about !
Fiddle about
Fiddle about
Fiddle about !
Fiddle, fiddle, fiddle.
Fiddle, fiddle, fiddle.
Fiddle, fiddle, fiddle.
Fiddle, fiddle, fiddle...FIDDLE!

[NoSillyName]

01:47 PM on 01/31/2010

Written by Entwistle.

[LynnBarnstorm13]

07:53 AM on 01/30/2010

A sick wave of Puritanism has crashed across America, dirtying everything in its path. Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy. ~H. L. Mencken ...... Manic Depression: Touchdown! Yay! For today!......P.S. You can change the channel or hit the mute button.....

[Sobeton]

03:35 AM on 01/30/2010

why would he plead guilty to something if it was an Innocent mistake? why would you need to visit a kiddie porn site to do research on sex abuse? their are tons of legitimate sites and organizations that could have helped him in his research.

sorry, I'm not comfortable with his explanation.

[NoSillyName]

01:25 PM on 01/31/2010

Just look at the other comments if you want the TRUTH instead of BS.

He did NOT plead guilty to anything.

[Mortimermanto]

08:18 PM on 01/29/2010

Am I missing something here? His 5 year statute with British authorities has expired. Yes? Since 2003? Either way, he was never charged and fringe organizations such as POC labelling him as they are and posting bulletins around Miami is clearly an infringement, of grand sorts, of anyone's rights as a human. AND.... I would be willing to bet that someone consequential within POC has a shady past or darkened closet of their own. I hope they play "Fiddle About".

[stevefromkelso]

07:42 PM on 01/29/2010

Petes guitar is in a lot more danger than any child.....

[Balzac]

07:33 PM on 01/29/2010

It's too easy for a browser to make an incriminating http request for this to be enough to trash a guy. Every website you load makes lots of http requests to other domains.

Also, some reputable porn sites have "user-generated content" in addition to RSS feeds populating content management systems. I've seen a thumbnail on one of these reputable porn sites and I thought it looked suspicious. Of course I didn't click it.

The criteria of being branded a pervert for life are far to easy to meet with modern software much of which is flaky and the sheer quantities of illegal content online. They can practically spam you with it if you're not using a secure operating system. And then there's the issue of some person clicking a link they shouldn't click but for another reason than someone else might suppose.

For example, instead of illegal porn, how about a genre of fetish porn you personally find ridiculous and bizarre, such as "furry" porn? Suppose you find it hilarious and you're laughing at these people in furry animal suits? Now somebody sees it in your browser history and you're branded a deviant niche fetish pervert - a "furry". It's too easy to get trashed, and I say this as someone who is secure and not concerned for myself.

[Balzac]

07:55 PM on 01/29/2010

Another example - suppose you're a fan of lesbian wrestling, and some of these same porn athlete/actresses are featured on other sites that are even more weird than the lesbian wrestling site. So you check out one of these other sites and it's pretty gnarly. That doesn't mean that's your thing if just because you strayed from your hardcore lesbian site, which is already pretty hardcore. People shouldn't think they know everything about others based on superficial indicators. Some people are simple, some people aren't.

[NoSillyName]

01:49 PM on 01/31/2010

lol. Personal experience?

[django707]

02:48 AM on 02/08/2010

one of the first tips my old man gave me was "never stray from you lesbian wrestling site."

good advice.

[flik]

06:08 PM on 01/29/2010

Aside from his position as a bona fide Rock pioneer, his philanthropic work is unmatched. Why then do these fringe elements choose only to cite a claim as ill informed as this? Who are the "Protect The Chidren" Organization. Who? Who? - Who? Who?

Pete Townshend’s public charitable efforts include:

1972 Tommy performance which raised nearly £10,000 for the Stars Organization for Spastics charity. 1979 Rock Against Racism benefit concert, organized to raise money to pay the legal costs of those arrested in a London area anti-racism demonstration. Townshend helped organize the show, topped the bill, and supplied the event lighting and equipment. 1981 Rock Against Unemployment benefit concert, part of the People’s March For Jobs campaign. 1982 Prince’s Trust Gala Benefit performance. Performing with The Who at the 1985 Live Aid concert. Involvement in fundraising for Nelson Mandela's African National Congress. 1986 Royal Albert Hall benefit show for the victims of a Colombian Volcano disaster which killed over 25,000 people. 2001 benefit show for San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse which raised approximately $100,000. Performing in Rock the Dock, 1998 benefit for striking Liverpool dock workers. Organizing online auction in 2000 to raise funds for Oxfam's emergency services to help those affected by floods in Mozambique and a combination of drought / food shortages in Ethiopia. Performing with The Who at 2001 all-star The Concert for New York City at Madison Square Garden, honoring policemen and emergency personnel killed in the September 11 attacks & more...

[DrJimmy]

06:44 PM on 01/29/2010

FLIK...... Brilliant!

[separatingwheatfromchaff]

06:47 AM on 01/31/2010

But.....,but.........How absurd,HP had this up on their site recently,http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/21/pirellis-2010-calendar-ph_n_365651.html.Some of the girls looked to be underage but since it's a legitimate site and a well known company producing the calendar I assume everything is on the up and up.Or should everyone that looked at these photos be on some kind of list?

[flik]

05:14 PM on 01/29/2010

These uninformed comments and pamphlets directed towards Pete Townshend are meant to inveigh against an individual who was not charged, but for routine reasons put on a list for 5 years.

Use your head people. Here is an excerpt from http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/petetownshend1.html

After a four-month investigation, London police today cleared Pete Townshend of kiddie porn charges. But the rock star will still spend five years on a U.K. register of sex offenders because the co-founder of The Who visited a web site containing child porn images. Townshend was nabbed in January on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children, though no such photos were found following a search of his home and computer.

Any questions? Looking forward to the Super Bowl & The Who!