Pete Townshend Arrested

"He has been arrested under the Protection of Children Act of 1978 on suspicion of possessing indecent images of children, suspicion of making indecent images of children and on suspicion of incitement to distribute indecent images of children," according to a Scotland Yard spokesperson. The spokesperson also said that there were two arrest warrants issued, one for a residential address and one for a business address. Computers from both locations were confiscated.

Townshend, 57, vehemently denies any wrongdoing, claiming he was doing research for his autobiography. He admits to using a credit card to gain entry into one site which he viewed "maybe three or four times" for research purposes only. Townshend released this statement: "I am not a pedophile. I have never entered chat rooms on the Internet to converse with children. I have, to the contrary, been shocked, angry and vocal (especially on my Website) about the explosion of advertised pedophiliac images on the Internet."

Townshend said he has been writing his autobiography for the past seven years and believes he was sexually abused between the ages of five and six and a half while in the care of his maternal grandmother who was mentally ill during that time. Oh…that explains it! Townshend seems an unlikely candidate for a pedophile, but then again who is to say what a likely pedophile is. With the recent high profile cases of child pornography against actors Paul Ruebens (Pee Wee Herman) and Jeffrey Jones (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), this latest story may not be so shocking. Band mate Roger Daltry and friend Jerry Hall, Mick Jagger’s ex-wife, have stood by their friend and lent their support. But they needn’t worry…it was only research.