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| Man cleared over Girls Aloud blog | Man cleared over Girls Aloud blog |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| A former civil servant who wrote an internet article imagining the kidnap and murder of the pop group Girls Aloud has been cleared of obscenity. | |
| Darryn Walker, 35, of South Shields, South Tyneside, was charged under the Obscene Publications Act after the blog appeared on a fantasy pornography site. | Darryn Walker, 35, of South Shields, South Tyneside, was charged under the Obscene Publications Act after the blog appeared on a fantasy pornography site. |
| He appeared at Newcastle Crown Court, but was cleared on Monday. | He appeared at Newcastle Crown Court, but was cleared on Monday. |
| His defence argued that the article was not accessible, and could only be found by those looking for specific material. | His defence argued that the article was not accessible, and could only be found by those looking for specific material. |
| Mr Walker's 12-page blog - Girls (Scream) Aloud - was brought to the attention of police by the Internet Watch Foundation, an organisation for the public and IT professionals which polices potentially obscene material. | |
| It was never his intention to frighten or intimidate the members of Girls Aloud Tim Owen QC | |
| He was arrested at his home in Mowbray Road, South Shields, by officers from the Obscene Publications Unit in February 2008. | |
| David Perry QC, prosecuting, said: "A crucial aspect of the reasoning that led to the instigation of these proceedings was that the article in question, which was posted on the internet, was accessible to people who were particularly vulnerable - young people who were interested in a particular pop music group. | |
| "It was this that distinguished this case from other material available on the internet. | |
| "The CPS concluded, with the benefit of counsel's advice, there was a realistic prospect of conviction." | |
| However, a report for the defence by an information technology expert said that it could only be discovered by internet users seeking such specific material. | |
| A report from a consultant psychiatrist also said it was "baseless" to suggest that reading such material could turn other people into sexual predators. | |
| This type of writing is widely available on the internet in an unregulated and uncensored form Tim Owen QC | |
| Tim Owen QC, defending Mr Walker, said: "It was never his intention to frighten or intimidate the members of Girls Aloud. | |
| "He had written what he had described as an adult celebrity parody and was only meant to be for an audience of like-minded people. | |
| "As soon as he was aware of the upset and fuss that had been created, he took steps himself to take the article off the website." | |
| He added: "This type of writing is widely available on the internet in an unregulated and uncensored form. | |
| "In terms of its alleged obscenity, it is frankly no better or worse than other articles." | |
| The courts also heard that Mr Walker had lost his job since his arrest. | |
| Judge Esmond Faulks formally returned a not guilty verdict to the charge of publishing an obscene article. |