MIKE ORAM FROM IWERNE MINSTER INVOLVED IN CHILD PORNOGRAPHY SCANDAL IN BOURNEMOUTH

In April 2004, a significant and troubling case involving a local politician from Iwerne Minster came to light, drawing widespread attention and concern. Mike Oram, aged 61, who resides at Hobgoblin in Iwerne Minster, appeared before Bournemouth Magistrates Court to face serious charges related to child pornography. The charges included making an indecent photograph of a child and inciting the distribution of pseudo-photographs of children under the age of 16.

Oram, who has been serving as the representative for Blandford East since 1999, admitted to both offences during his court appearance on April 7. The day before, he had resigned from his position on the North Dorset District Council cabinet, yet he has not formally stepped down from his role as a councillor. The court proceedings revealed that Oram had paid to access an American website called 'Landslide,' which was known for hosting child pornography content. He used his son’s credit card to view the site, which later became the subject of an extensive investigation.

The FBI in the United States and British police authorities, under Operation Ore, launched investigations into the website after the names of approximately 7,000 individuals who accessed it were passed to British law enforcement agencies. Among those identified was the renowned guitarist Pete Townshend of The Who, highlighting the high-profile nature of the case.

During the hearing, Cllr David Milsted, the Liberal Democrat group leader on the council, expressed his disapproval of Oram’s continued position. He stated, “I trust that he will do the appropriate thing by resigning his membership of the council,” emphasizing the gravity of the allegations and the need for accountability.

Prosecutor Paul Griffin explained that Oram claimed he had accidentally come across the website between October and November 1998 and had saved an image onto a floppy disk. Griffin noted, “He said he was concerned for the children involved which is why he viewed them,” and added that Oram admitted to copying an image onto a disk but claimed he deleted it immediately after realizing the gravity of his actions.

The court heard that the image in question was classified as level two in terms of seriousness, with level four being the most severe. When police examined Oram’s computer, no images were found stored on the hard drive; however, the web browsing history revealed access to the website. Defense lawyer David Lester stated that Oram was “revolted by the images he saw but now accepts he was very nave to go onto this site.”

District Judge Louise Balmain acknowledged Oram’s guilty pleas and the fact that no material was downloaded onto his computer. As a result, she sentenced him to a two-year conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £87 in costs. The conditional discharge means Oram will not be placed on the sex offenders register, a decision that reflects the court’s assessment of his actions and the evidence presented.

It is also noteworthy that Oram had previously fallen foul of the Standards Board rules governing councillor conduct. In December, a complaint was upheld against him concerning a drink-driving conviction from June 2002 and comments he made to the Daily Echo, which were deemed to have brought the council into disrepute. Following a hearing, he was censured for his conduct, adding further context to the ongoing scrutiny of his public service record.