'Shocked' parents call for new approach after ex-councillor's sickening crimes

Families have called on Sefton Council to introduce DBS checks for elected councillors after Sefton's former mayor pleaded guilty to child sex offences. Paul Tweed was the serving councillor for Litherland ward when a police investigation found he possessed sickening child sex images.

Tweed, 62 was initially charged with three counts of making indecent images of children and told police he had viewed the sick images "by accident when browsing pornography". He appeared before Wirral Magistrates' Court on September 25 this year where he pleaded guilty to the charges and later appeared for sentencing at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on November 6 where a further charge was added.

Olivia Randall, prosecuting, told the court the particulars of the case were Tweed's family home was raided after police intelligence suggested indecent material was being viewed at the address. The defendant was at home with members of his family when the warrant was executed on May 14 this year.

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The court heard he and the others inside the house all denied having viewed any inappropriate material. Officers seized eight devices including a laptop which was forensically examined.

The court heard that after 88 indecent images of children were initially found the defendant cut his wrists and was taken to hospital. Olivia Randall, prosecuting said he was later taken into custody and during interview admitted the laptop was his. The court heard Tweed claimed he had viewed the images by accident when he was browsing pornography and denied any interest in children.

A further forensic report was later carried out and concluded 160 images of children were found, including 80 pictures and videos that fell into category A - the most serious kind. Ms Randall told the court the crown concluded the children in the category A images were as young as five and aged between six and 10 in the category B and C. The court also heard he had 15 extreme pornography files that showed bestiality. Tweed also pleaded guilty to the additional charge presented on November 6 which related to the possession of extreme pornographic images.

Local news previously reported how Tweed was elected to Sefton Council in 1992 and held a number of high ranking positions on the local authority, including holding the cabinet portfolio for corporate services and performance between 2012 and 2015. He became Sefton's Mayor for the year 2008/09, attending numerous events as the borough's first citizen.

When the ECHO first broke the story of Tweed's charges, Sefton's Labour group said it took "immediate action" to remove Tweed as a member after it became aware of the offences. However, despite Sefton Council asking Tweed to resign following his guilty pleas, he remained an elected member of the council, sitting as an independent.

Since the conviction of Paul Tweed, there has been a growing campaign calling for elected councillors to be subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. The latest of these calls came from concerned parents at a Children's Services committee meeting at Bootle Town Hall last night.

The head of the Parents Forum in Sefton, Daved Moorhead raised the issue to the committee and submitted the following question: "What new measures have been put in place to strengthen the safeguarding issue regarding elected councillors following the arrest and conviction of a recent long standing Sefton councillor?"

Mr Moorhead added: "We were all absolutely shocked by his awful crimes against children and [Paul Tweed] was a councillor of Sefton. How can you restore the trust between the councillors and the families now?"

The committee confirmed via a written response that the issue would be discussed at the next full council meeting tomorrow night November 14 at Southport Town Hall and stated: "Any suggested course of action will be considered and implemented following that meeting.

"In addition, the Member Development Steering Group regularly monitors completion rates for mandatory member training and has recommended that the forthcoming training relating to Corporate Parenting, Safeguarding Awareness for both Adults and Children be promoted, with a view to increasing completion rates by Members."