COUNCIL IN THE UK SPOTS CONVICTED PEDOPHILE DAVID HARPER IN TOURIST BROCHURE PROMOTING CHILDREN'S RAIL RIDE

In January 2009, a local council in the UK faced controversy after using an image of David Harper, a convicted paedophile, in promotional material for a children's attraction. Harper, who was dubbed 'The Fat Controller' due to his appearance, was pictured as the character overseeing a Thomas The Tank Engine-themed ride, with the headline 'Fun In The Forest.'

The council distributed approximately 50,000 copies of the brochure nationally in the first week of January, which included the image of Harper. This decision has sparked outrage, especially considering Harper's criminal background. Harper, 66, was exposed as a paedophile in 2007 and sentenced to eight years in prison for sexually abusing two boys aged 10 and 12, as well as hoarding 26,000 child pornography images on his computer.

One victim, a train enthusiast, was abused after meeting Harper at the Dean Forest Railway in Lydney, Gloucestershire. The Forest of Dean District Council stated it will not recall the brochures, citing cost concerns. Steve Kendall, the council’s manager for economic development and tourism, explained, "It was a mistake and we hold our hands up. As soon as we realised, we ordered all of the images to be destroyed and stopped sending out any further brochures."

He added, "In terms of a recall, we discussed it but it is horrendously expensive and would have significant implications for our tourist trade this year."

Harper, who was a train enthusiast and volunteered at the Dean Forest Railway— which hosts five Thomas The Tank Engine events annually— posed for pictures with children at numerous events. His criminal activities came to light when he took his computer for repair in Gloucester, where staff discovered the large cache of illegal images, including those showing Harper abusing two boys.

Harper, a resident of Monmouth, South Wales, admitted to multiple charges including gross indecency with the two boys, making 11 counts of indecent images, and distributing an indecent image at Gloucester Crown Court in November 2007. Judge Jamie Tabor QC described the 26,176 images as 'frankly horrendous' and stated, 'Your depravity knew no bounds. You have sunk as low as a man can sink.'

The photograph of Harper dressed as the Fat Controller was an old file used by a contractor for promotional purposes. Kendall clarified that the image was not recent and was used for several years, noting, "The picture was not captioned or named in connection with Harper himself, but with the character, and the brochure was aimed at attracting visitors beyond the local area. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that some families might be upset."

Labour MP Dan Norris, a former child protection officer, criticized the council for the oversight. He said, "Knowing that this man had harmed children in the past, they should have taken every step necessary to ensure this picture was not used. The council has a duty to recognize the distress caused and to withdraw the publication—even at financial cost. There are some things more important than money, and this is certainly one of them."