New Child Sex Charges Against Disgraced Ex-Labour Councillor Dropped

A disgraced ex-Labour councillor - jailed for online grooming - has had fresh charges of possessing child pornography dropped.

John Joseph Friary, 53, who returned to his native Scotland following his release from prison found himself arrested again by police from the South London borough, where he served on the council.

Friary, of West Pilton Green, Edinburgh appeared at Camberwell Green Magistrates Court and was on bail awaiting committal to Woolwich Crown Court when the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the case.

In November, 2011 the former councillor for Brunswick Ward and a cabinet member for community safety with the London Borough of Southwark was jailed for fifteen months for attempting to meet a 15 year-old girl after sexual grooming.

In reality the 'girl' was a Hertfordshire blackmailer trying to extort money from peadophiles.

After his release Friary was charged with making twenty level one indecent photographs of a child between June 11 and November 21, 2010 at his former address in Camberwell New Road, Camberwell, plus a second charge of making seven level three photographs.

The prosecution claimed incriminating evidence was found by police after they seized Friary's laptop and found sexual conversation between the defendant and underage boys and girls.