Gay Fr. Aide ToUK B Johnson Says: 'He is interested in bondage and sadomasochism'

Scandal: Simon Walsh (pictured), a former aide to Boris Johnson, is on trial accused of viewing sadomasochistic pornography which was 'likely to cause serious injury'

A gay former aide to Boris Johnson admitted to being a sadomasochist who enjoys a 'strange sex life' but denied possessing extreme images of men engaged in acts 'likely to cause injury', a court heard.

Oxford-educated barrister Simon Walsh, 50, who was once tipped to be the Lord Mayor of London, is accused of possessing extreme pornography and an indecent picture of an underage boy.

Some of the images found on Walsh's Hotmail account showed violent sex acts and one email included a sexually graphic description of a hanging, Kingston Crown Court heard.

Mr Walsh was sacked by the London Mayor and his chief of staff Sir Edward Lister in November after refusing to stand down from his post as a mayoral appointee to the London fire authority.

He has been denied access to any of his computer files since being arrested in April last year - since which time he has been unable to work as a barrister.

He refuses to quit as a member of the City of London Corporation, the Square Mile’s local authority, and denies owning extreme pornography and having any contact with underage boys.

He said he could not recall even opening the photo that allegedly shows an underage boy, and added that it had been sent to him unsolicited.

Giving evidence in court today, he denied ever hurting anyone and said 'I know the limits and I respect them'.

Referring to images involving himself and two other men from a New Year's Eve party, taken in a  mirror, he denied they were pornographic and said he took them 'as a record of what we have done. I was asked to take them by the other parties and I then sent them on to them.'

 

 

All parties were responsible for safety, he said, and 'it was not like a safety announcement like when a plane takes off, but people know if it hurts you say "ouch" and it stops.'

Asked if he ever remembered anyone being hurt, he replied: 'Not at all.'

The 'explicit' photographs from the party were 'amateurish' and 'could not pass muster as pornographic images', the court was told.
The Oxford-educated top barrister told the court during his evidence that the photographs of himself and two other men taken during a New Year’s Eve party were simply a 'record' of what they had done, and denied they were pornographic.

Thomas Wilkins, prosecuting, questioned whether involving himself in the activities the photographs display would 'compromise your position as a judge and as somebody with these roles in local government'. 

The alderman replied: 'When I stand for roles in public office I give up a right to privacy.'

Walsh was sacked by the London Mayor (pictured) after being charged with five counts of possessing an extreme pornographic image and one count of possessing an indecent picture of a child

Walsh, of Southwark, denies five counts of possessing an extreme pornographic image, and one count of possessing an indecent picture of a child.

Asked about the alleged underage image, which was sent as an attachment via email and which remained in his inbox, he denied knowledge of contact with the sender – despite the message reading ‘enjoy, fella.’

Opening the case last week, Mr Wilkins said: 'Pornography is extreme and therefore illegal if it is grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise obscene and shows an activity likely to cause serious injury.'

The jury is being asked to decide whether Walsh's images constitute 'extreme pornography', which carries a sentence of up to three years in prison.

Mr Wilkins said of Walsh: 'He is a gay man who has what he described as a strange sex life.

'He doesn't dispute that he uses the email account purely for his sex life.

'He doesn't dispute that he is interested in bondage and sadomasochism.

'He disputes that the images are extreme or pornographic

 


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