A city councillor who allegedly failed to answer police bail in a vote rigging inquiry today appeared in court charged with downloading indecent photographs of children.

John Astley, a Bristol City councillor, was escorted back to Britain from Holland last night by Avon and Somerset Police officers.

The 39-year-old councillor for Lawrence Hill ward spent the night in cells at Trinity Road Police Station in Bristol.

Astley was charged with two counts of making indecent photographs of a child, 18 counts of possessing indecent photographs, one charge of conspiracy to defraud Bristol City Council electoral returning officer, failing to surrender to police bail and possessing cannabis.

Astley was first arrested in August on an allegation of irregularities in the proxy voting system during the May elections. Astley, of no fixed address, allegedly failed to answer police bail on October 22 and was arrested in Holland two days later.

Bristol magistrates remanded Astley in custody until his next court appearance.

He will appear in Bristol Crown Court on November 21 over the charge of conspiracy and he will appear at Bristol Magistrates' Court by a video link in connection with the other charges on November 28.

Stella Hender, 43, of Stroud, Gloucestershire, has already been charged with conspiring to defraud the Bristol electoral returning officer into granting false proxy votes to electors between April 20 and May 2.

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