Pete Townshend Receives a Caution

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News of Pete Townshend's arrest on 'possessing, making, and inciting to distribute indecent images of children' made headlines world-wide. CNN replayed the same video of Mr. Townshend being led away in the back of a police car every fifteen minutes, while many pundits in the media wrote about his actions as though guilt had already been established. Jay Leno, the long-jawed host of the Tonight Show, cracked many off-colour jokes at Mr. Townshend's expense. Some of Leno's quips indicated that Mr. Townshend was not only guilty of downloading child pornography but was also guilty of physical abuse.

The presumption of innocence was ignored.

There were many, however, who did not jump on the condemnation bandwagon. A few columnists offered their support for Mr. Townshend, offering Townshend's historical stance against abuse as proof of his innocence.

Friends and peers came to Pete Townshend's defense as well. Roger Daltrey, Townshend's fellow member in The Who, quickly added his voice to those who presumed in the guitarist's innocence.

Then there were the fans.

A surge of support from Pete Townshend's fans culminated in the formation of the website: www.petetownshendisinnocent.com. This site provides a forum for fans and non-fans to offer their opinions and feedback. It also serves as a tremendous warehouse of information. Any articles relating to the case, positive or negative, are posted on the site for everyone to see. A list of Mr. Townhend's philanthropic endeavours and a copy of his anti-child pornography essay, 'A Different Bomb,' are also available to visitors.

The webmaster created the site, and devotes his time to running it, out of no desire for personal recognition. His belief in the innocence of Pete Townshend remains the sole motivating factor.

To date the site has received approximately 24,000 hits.

Now, Scotland Yard has confirmed Mr. Townshend's assertions that he did not download or distribute any images. They do not dispute his claims of accessing the sites for research purposes. They have also stated he co-operated fully during the investigation.

Mr. Townshend adds, "The police have unconditionally accepted that these were my motives in looking at this site and that there was no other nefarious purpose, and as a result they have decided not to charge me. I accept that I was wrong to access this site, and that by doing so, I broke the law, and I have accepted the caution that the police have given me."

Given the nature of the law, Mr. Townshend had no choice about accepting a caution. Accessing the sites is illegal, and he admitted to doing so. His reasons for doing so are a different matter. It is because the police accept his claims - and the evidence supports him - that he is being cautioned rather than prosecuted.

Whether or not the latest developments will receive the same attention given to the original reports remains to be seen, however chances are slim. Tarnished celebrities sell more papers. It is also unlikely that Jay Leno will publicly apologize for his ill-informed, sophmoric slander.

Fortunately, for Mr. Townshend, his fans and supporters remain loyal. Their faith in Pete Townshend's innocence has been vindicated.