Former civil servant cleared over Girls Aloud blog
Former civil servant who wrote an online blog in which he imagined kidnap and murder of Girls Aloud cleared of obscenity
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Monday, 29, Jun 2009 11:49
A 35-year-old man who wrote an online blog in which he imagined the kidnap and murder of the pop band Girls Aloud has been cleared of obscenity.
Former civil servant Darryn Walker, from South Shields, was charged under the Obscene Publications Act after the postings appeared on a fantasy pornography site.
He was originally arrested by Scotland Yard officers after the Internet Watch Foundation - a regulator which monitors potentially obscene material online - alerted police.
He appeared at Newcastle crown court earlier today but was cleared after his legal team argued the material was only accessible by those looking for specific material.
Mr Walker was arrested in February 2008 after his 12-page blog, entitled Girls (Scream) Aloud was brought to the attention of the police.
The court heard during the proceedings that the 35-year-old had lost his job since arrest, before Judge Esmond Faulks returned a not guilty verdict to the charge of publishing an obscene article.