Leicestershire council deputy chief steps down over porn DVD find

The deputy leader of Leicestershire County Council has stepped down while an investigation takes place after it emerged a pornographic DVD was found in his council computer.

Councillor David Sprason is now to be investigated by Tory party whips.

He told the Mercury he made an "error of judgement" when he watched a movie entitled She Likes It Rough in his county council PC and voluntarily stepped down while the matter is looked into.

The DVD was found on the CD drive of Coun Sprason's computer in 2007 when he returned it to IT officers at County Hall after it broke.

The matter came to light after a copy of a confidential letter sent to Coun Sprason by former council monitoring officer Elizabeth McCalla about the DVD was passed anonymously to the Leicester Mercury.

Coun Sprason said he and his wife Sue, a Conservative councillor on Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, had watched the DVD in their bedroom but that he had forgotten to remove it before returning the laptop for repairs.

He said: "It shouldn't have been in there. It was an unfortunate error of judgement.

"The laptop crashed and I took it to get it repaired. I should have taken the film out and put it back in its box.

"I was probably rushing around the next morning and grabbed it before going in to County Hall.

"Me and the wife use things to help our relationship. That's one of the tools we use. We both enjoy them.

"It's one of those situations that shouldn't have happened."

Coun Sprason said he thought the letter had been leaked to embarrass him.

He said: "I'm not embarrassed. There was nothing dodgy about it.

"It's the kind of thing that can easily be bought in an adult shop."

Coun Sue Sprason said: "Our DVD (player) broke so we – unfortunately – used a county council laptop.

"We are a middle-aged couple who love each other as much as we did when we were in our 20s.

"When you get to middle age, you need a bit of assistance."

After the DVD was found, officers at County Hall checked Coun Sprason's internet usage from the laptop and found nothing untoward.

In her letter to Coun Sprason, Ms McCalla said the DVD had been sent to the police "to ensure it did not contain any unlawful material".

She said: "They subsequently advised me the DVD contained hardcore pornography of the type you might be able to buy in this country, but more likely to buy abroad or over the internet, but that no criminal offence had been committed."

The letter said the matter was not pursued because the DVD was watched in a private capacity.

However, Ms McCalla warned him not to view pornography on a county council computer again "otherwise I have no alternative but to pursue the matter further".

Current council leader Nick Rushton said: "David Sprason has informed me of his decision to stand down while an investigation takes place under Conservative group rules.

"That's the right decision, personally and in the interests of the council's reputation.

"I have made it clear in recent times that the Conservative group needs to be seen to be acting in accordance with the highest standards of conduct.

"I find it particularly disappointing that my predecessor (David Parsons) as leader didn't deal with this matter properly through the group rules at the time."

Coun Parsons said he did not wish to comment.

Coun Byron Rhodes has become deputy leader and Coun Dave Houseman has taken over Coun Sprason's cabinet duties.