Section 28 supporter faces jail over child abuse images

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A Scottish school board chief who campaigned for Section 28 to stay in place may face jail after he was found to be in possession of abusive images of children.

Alan Smith, who was the Scottish School Board Association president in 2000, was found to have more than 4,000 indecent images of children on his home computer.

He pleaded guilty to possessing and distributing the material.

Smith was involved in bus tycoon Brian Souter’s effort to keep Section 28 in place. The legislation banned schools from mentioning homosexuality.

In 2000 Mr Souter gave over a million pounds to a campaign in Scotland to uphold the law. Smith was a key figure in the campaign.

Smith said at the time: “We’re acting to protect children and we should be allowed to use our democratic right for a debate on the issue.

“People do not realise the potential harm to children.”

He was caught during a police operation last year.

According to the Daily Record, he told another internet user, called Babylover1, that he was interested in images of girls, boys, one-year-olds and newborn babies.

He was put on the sex offenders register at Paisley crown court and will be sentenced next month.

Smith would not comment, while a spokesman for Mr Souter said he did not remember dealing with him.

Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: “Alan Smith’s conviction for child pornography confirms the theory that people who oppose gay equality are often hypocrites.”

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