Pete Townshend was challenged by Keir Starmer in child pornography case

nme.com:

Pete Townshend of The Who has revealed Keir Starmer was the lawyer who challenged him in Townshend’s infamous child pornography case.In 2003, it was discovered that Townshend had paid to view a child pornography site, which prompted a police investigation.

The Who star claimed that it was research for a campaign against pedophilia for his memoir, where Townshend believed he may have been sexually abused as a child: “You have to know what’s out there.”Shortly before his memoir was published in 2012, Townshend elaborated on the incident.

He claimed he had paid £7 to access a child pornography site, which he immediately cancelled, in order to expose the financial chain of child abuse from Russian orphanages.

Townshend admitted his actions were “insane”, saying it was a result of “white knight syndrome, an attempt to be seen to be the one that’s helping.” He also revealed he was cautioned and placed on the sex offenders list for five years afterwards.In a new profile, it was revealed that current Leader of the Opposition Keir Starmer was barrister who challenged Townshend in court. “You know, I made a mistake, but I think I did the right thing,” he told The Independent. “I was challenged by Keir Starmer, who was then in charge of public prosecutions, to either go to court to make my case clear or to accept a caution.”“I was terrified of going to court.