Julian Mineur accessed abuse images while a councillor
A man caught with images of child sexual abuse on his computer while a councillor has been spared jail.
Julian Mineur, 59, of Common Edge Road, Blackpool, was given a three-year community order and placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.
Mineur was convicted in January at Preston Crown Court of making and possessing indecent images of children.
He was elected as a Conservative councillor for Greenlands Ward in 2007 but lost his seat in 2011.
Most serious category
The court heard police found indecent images of children on his computer following searches of addresses on Sackville Avenue, Blackpool in December 2010 and on Common Edge Road in August 2011.
The images included level five, the most serious category.
Brett Gerrity, senior crown prosecutor for Crown Prosecution Service North West, said: "Since his first appearance in court in July 2012, Julian Mineur continuously denied that he had ever knowingly viewed or downloaded indecent images of children.
"As a result of his evasive actions, and at an increased cost to the public purse, several computer expert reports were completed which provided overwhelming evidence to show that he had indeed accessed such images on a number of computers that belonged to him."
Mineur, who was ordered to pay £1,000 costs, was elected as a Conservative in 2007 but subsequently deselected by the party, fighting the 2011 election as an independent.