A FORMER chair of Harlow Council has pled guilty to a number of charges relating to downloading images of child abuse.

Ian Jackson, aged 64, of Greenhills, Harlow made the guilty plea on November 2nd, 2016 at Chelmsford Magistrates Court.

The charges were as follows:

Between January 1st, 2012 and December 20th, 2015, in Harlow made indecent photographs of children, namely 4 x Cat A indecent still images of children.

On 19th December 2015 at Harlow possessed 110 extreme pornographic images, which portrayed, in an explicit and realistic way, a person performing an act of intercourse on animals, namely dogs, and which was grossly offensive, disgusting or otherwise of an obscene character.

Between January 1st, 2012 and December 20th, 2015, in Harlow made indecent photographs of children namely 4 x Cat B indecent still images of children.

Jackson was a Lib Dem councillor for a number of years and last stood for election in 2015. He was chair of Harlow Council between 2004 and 2005.

He has also fulfilled a number of community roles around Harlow including being a member of St Johns Ambulance.

He was also a leading member of Harlow Hospital Radio, where he was in charge of their IT.

Jackson will be sentenced on November 30th at Chelmsford Crown Court.