‘Villager of year’ stripped of title over child porn

A FORMER Scout leader voted ‘villager of the year’ in 2014 has been stripped of his title after being convicted of downloading thousands of indecent images of children.

Roland Frankel, 62, a former Liberal Democrat councillor, won the award in the village of Theydon Bois, Essex.

But last week he appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court, where he pleaded guilty to two counts of making or downloading indecent photos of children between 2003 and 2013.

Frankel, who runs a printing business, sang in the local church choir and sold candy floss at the local fete, was caught with 18,385 indecent photos and 390 videos. He told police he looked at images of naked girls because he was interested in the ‘body shapes’ of children as an ‘art form’.

Frankel was given a 36-month community order, put on the sex offenders’ register for five years and banned from contacting any girl under 16.

A spokesman for Theydon Bois Parish Council said that Frankel’s name had now been removed from the villager of the year trophy.