Lib-dem caught with beastiality pic faces jail for internet breach

A Liberal Democrat council leader who was caught with am obscene picture of an ‘unknown dead animal’ is facing another spell in jail for flouting an internet ban.

Derek Osbourne, 62, had a double life collecting child porn and was jailed for two years in 2013 after being caught with more than 3,000 sick images.

The former Kensington Borough Council leader created a blog to discuss his desires for a ‘deviant sexual lifestyle’ which also involved violence against women.

Using the alias ‘Dave Strider’ the pervert appeared in Yahoo chatrooms and forums as well as setting up fantasy Facebook profiles to share his sick stash.

The sickening stash, including the most serious level four and five child porn images, was unearthed when police raided Osbourne’s home in New Malden, Surrey, in June 2013.

He confessed to his crimes when his wife and two teenage daughters were ‘out of earshot’.

Osbourne had admitted seven counts of making indecent photographs, two counts of possessing indecent images of children, two of possessing extreme pornography and six of distributing indecent images in September 2013.

Judge Alistair McCreath had jailed the former Liberal Democrat for two years and imposed a Sexual Offences Prevention Order restricting his internet access at Southwark Crown Court.

Sentencing him at the time the judge said: ‘Those images are of real children suffering real abuse, not some electronic construct.

‘All of these children were subjected to abuse of some kind or another, some of it truly appalling.

‘It is stomach-turning, some of the children were as young as three.

‘Of course you didn’t perpetrate that abuse yourself, but you and others like you are complicit.

‘Without people like you to look it, there would be no point in creating the images.

‘You created a blog in which you assumed a false identity and indulged in conversations with others of a deeply unpleasant nature.’

Prosecutor Peter Zinner then remarked: ‘This is a spectacular fall from grace for an individual who was in a significant position of trust.

‘More particularly the defendant was the leader of Kingston Borough Council at the time of his offending.

‘He would therefore have been responsible for, say the crown, the welfare of hundreds if not thousands of children.

‘He must have known what he was doing would significantly contribute to the cycle of harm suffered by child sex victims and exploitation.’

Osbourne was hauled back before Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court today (thurs) where he admitted three counts of breaching that order.

He engaged in online chats about pornography on ten occasions between 27 September and 9 November last year.

Osbourne also accessed online chats containing explicit images and films during that time.

Those breaches followed his logging on to a gambling site on four separate occasions on 24 April last year.

He must now face Judge McCreath again after he was committed to Southwark Crown Court for sentence.

Magistrate Justine Johnston said: ‘We feel that this would likely cross the length of custody we have jurisdiction for so we are going to send this matter to the crown court.

‘This matter is being sent to Southwark Crown Court, as you have heard, and that will be at a date to be notified.’

His 27-year career was left in tatters following his 2013 resignation from the council.

Osbourne was first elected to Kingston Council in 1986 before serving as Lib Dem leader of the council between 1994 and 1997 before another decade-long stint from 2003.

Osbourne, of (38) Burlington Road, New Malden, Kingston upon Thames, admitted three counts of breaching a sexual offences prevention order and was bailed ahead of sentence at Southwark Crown Court on a date to be confirmed administratively.