NELSON BLAND READING CHILD PORN CASE SHOCKS COMMUNITY

In a case that has sent ripples through the Reading community, Nelson Bland, a 50-year-old former teacher and Labour councillor, was recently brought before the court after admitting to serious charges related to child pornography. The incident unfolded in March 2004, revealing disturbing details about Bland's actions and the circumstances surrounding the discovery of illicit material.

Nelson Bland, who at the time was actively serving as a councillor representing the Bulmurshe ward of Wokingham District Council and working as an IT teacher at Denefield School in Long Lane, Tilehurst, faced a series of grave allegations. He was charged with making 16 indecent images of children and distributing child pornography. These images were uncovered during a police investigation linked to a heinous murder case involving Philip Croydon, the husband of Bland’s lover, Carol Croydon.

The police, based in Leicestershire, seized a computer belonging to Bland as part of their inquiry into the murder. It was during this investigation that they discovered the illicit images. The court was informed that Bland had viewed a total of 91 indecent images, with 15 classified as being of a particularly high level of seriousness, including one disturbing picture depicting a child in shackles. The images' discovery was a shocking revelation, adding a dark layer to the ongoing murder investigation.

Magistrate Rod Bailey, presiding over the case at Reading Magistrates’ Court, emphasized that Bland’s guilty plea was the only reason he avoided a custodial sentence. Bland, who now resides in Hucknall, Nottingham, was sentenced to 100 hours of community service. The court also mandated that he attend a sex offenders’ retraining program and remain on the sex offenders’ register for five years. These measures aim to monitor and rehabilitate Bland, given the severity of his offenses.

Adding to the gravity of the case, Carol Croydon was sentenced to life imprisonment last month after being convicted of repeatedly stabbing her husband to death in a hotel room in Leicestershire. The tragic murder and the subsequent discovery of child pornography linked to Bland have cast a long shadow over the community, raising concerns about the safety and well-being of children and the integrity of public officials involved in local governance.