Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Rocker Free on Bail
Aired January 14, 2003 - 09:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Pete Townshend must report back to police by the end of the month as part of child porn investigation. The rock star out on bail today after being arrested in connection with the case over the weekend.
Diana Muriel right now watching that story from southwest London, that continues to have a number of ripples again today.
Where do we stand now?
DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there.
Yes, we understand that Pete Townshend remains here at his house in Richmond. He's had the morning newspaper delivered and some food from a local supermarket, although he hasn't come out today and spoken to the press. He returned here after the experience he had at the police station yesterday evening. He was arrested at his home, 7:35 yesterday evening by police and taken to the police station. He's not been charged, but he was arrested on suspicion of making and possessing indecent photographs of young children and of incitement to disseminate those photographs.
Now, he left the police station after being interrogated by police for an hour and 20 minutes. He was there, all in all, for five hours. He left shortly after midnight, made no statement to the press when he returned here. In the meantime, police have taken from his house computers and other documents. They are going to be conducted an investigation over the next few days, and they have some time before they are going to charge him, and he is to go back to the police station before the end of the month.
In a statement that was issued over the weekend by Pete Townshend, he said that he was happy for the police to take way his hard drive and examine his computer, that he was innocent, not a pedophile. He said, though, that he visited the sites and used his credit card to access one particular site, but had not downloaded any material from there.
Now it's an offense in British law, a criminal offense, to even view child pornography, and do the police were required after that admission to make an arrest. Whether or not they decide to make charges, we wait to see -- Bill.
HEMMER: Diana, quickly here, part of the explanation that Pete Townshend offered he was doing research saying that he believed that he was abused as a child sometime between the ages of 5 and 6 1/2. How much of that story has been published before? MURIEL: Not very much. Although there has certainly been comments in the past from Pete Townshend that he believed there may have been something in his past because of the way he expresses himself creatively. Certainly the film "Tommy" talks about a deaf, dumb and blind child abused by an uncle. Some of the videos that have been made for The Who and songs in the past have included some pictures, perhaps one particular of a little boy being dressed as a little girl, which people are now construing as part of this thought process, but he's never been connected with pedophilia in the past -- Bill.
HEMMER: Thanks, Diana Muriel, in London.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 14, 2003 - 09:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Pete Townshend must report back to police by the end of the month as part of child porn investigation. The rock star out on bail today after being arrested in connection with the case over the weekend.
Diana Muriel right now watching that story from southwest London, that continues to have a number of ripples again today.
Where do we stand now?
DIANA MURIEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello there.
Yes, we understand that Pete Townshend remains here at his house in Richmond. He's had the morning newspaper delivered and some food from a local supermarket, although he hasn't come out today and spoken to the press. He returned here after the experience he had at the police station yesterday evening. He was arrested at his home, 7:35 yesterday evening by police and taken to the police station. He's not been charged, but he was arrested on suspicion of making and possessing indecent photographs of young children and of incitement to disseminate those photographs.
Now, he left the police station after being interrogated by police for an hour and 20 minutes. He was there, all in all, for five hours. He left shortly after midnight, made no statement to the press when he returned here. In the meantime, police have taken from his house computers and other documents. They are going to be conducted an investigation over the next few days, and they have some time before they are going to charge him, and he is to go back to the police station before the end of the month.
In a statement that was issued over the weekend by Pete Townshend, he said that he was happy for the police to take way his hard drive and examine his computer, that he was innocent, not a pedophile. He said, though, that he visited the sites and used his credit card to access one particular site, but had not downloaded any material from there.
Now it's an offense in British law, a criminal offense, to even view child pornography, and do the police were required after that admission to make an arrest. Whether or not they decide to make charges, we wait to see -- Bill.
HEMMER: Diana, quickly here, part of the explanation that Pete Townshend offered he was doing research saying that he believed that he was abused as a child sometime between the ages of 5 and 6 1/2. How much of that story has been published before? MURIEL: Not very much. Although there has certainly been comments in the past from Pete Townshend that he believed there may have been something in his past because of the way he expresses himself creatively. Certainly the film "Tommy" talks about a deaf, dumb and blind child abused by an uncle. Some of the videos that have been made for The Who and songs in the past have included some pictures, perhaps one particular of a little boy being dressed as a little girl, which people are now construing as part of this thought process, but he's never been connected with pedophilia in the past -- Bill.
HEMMER: Thanks, Diana Muriel, in London.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
