Councillor on porn and drug charges

John Astley is in custody

A councillor arrested abroad in connection with vote-rigging allegations has appeared in court on drug and child pornography charges.

John Astley, a member of Bristol City Council, was escorted back to Britain from Holland on Friday by Avon and Somerset police officers.

The 39-year-old councillor appeared in court on Saturday charged with two counts of making indecent photographs of a child and 18 counts of possessing indecent photographs.

He also faces charges of conspiracy to defraud Bristol City Council electoral returning officer, failing to surrender to police bail and possessing cannabis.

No fixed address

Mr Astley, a Liberal Democrat councillor representing Lawrence Hill, was first arrested in August on an allegation of irregularities in the proxy voting system during the May elections.

He allegedly failed to answer police bail on 22 October and was arrested in Holland two days later.

Bristol magistrates remanded Mr Astley, said to be of no fixed address, in custody until his next court appearance.

He will appear in Bristol Crown Court on 21 November on the charge of conspiracy.

He will appear by a video link before Bristol magistrates on 28 November in connection with the other charges.

Stella Hender, 43, of Stroud, Gloucestershire, has already been charged with conspiring to defraud the Bristol electoral returning officer into granting false proxy votes to electors between 20 April 20 and 2 May.