Scotland Yard detectives last night released Pete Townshend on bail after earlier arresting him on suspicion of possessing and making indecent images of children following the rock star's admission that he paid to enter an internet site containing child pornography.
The 57-year-old lead guitarist with the Who was taken to a south-west London police station for questioning by officers from the child protection unit after a team of detectives spent several hours searching his home and an office in Richmond, west London. A number of items, including computers, were removed for forensic examination.
His solicitor, John Cohen, said last night that he had been questioned for an hour and 20 minutes by officers at Twickenham police station. "Mr Townshend has been interviewed this evening by police. He has not been charged with anything and has been bailed to a future date when he may be required to answer some questions," he said. "He is going home to get some rest. He is tired but all right."
Scotland Yard said he had been arrested under the Protection of Children Act 1978 on "suspicion of possessing indecent images of children, suspicion of making indecent images of children and suspicion of incitement to distribute indecent images of children."
A police source warned that the word "making" should not be taken too literally.
Unshaven and wearing a black jacket, Townshend had earlier been driven away from his home by a side entrance.
The team of Scotland Yard detectives arrived at the rock star's home at 3pm, armed with a blue plastic crate containing evidence bags. A police spokeswoman at the scene said the detectives were conducting a thorough search that would take "as long as necessary".
She declined to say how many officers were involved, but said they included members of Scotland Yard's paedophile unit, major investiga tion team, and child protection units, all of whom are attached to Operation Ore, the largest inquiry into child pornography undertaken in the UK.
The spokeswoman said the officers, including experts in computer forensics, were there by prior arrangement, although they did have a search warrant. Speaking outside the house, Mr Cohen also said the meeting was by mutual agreement. "We approached the police and said that we should meet," he said.
Townshend admitted on Saturday that he had used his credit card to access a child pornography website after it emerged his details were on a list of more than 7,000 British subscribers sent to Scotland Yard by US authorities. So far more than 1,300 people have been arrested as part of the operation, including a judge, magistrates, dentists, hospital consultants, soldiers and a teacher, along with more than 50 police officers.
Two MPs - both said to be former Labour ministers - and a television presenter are also on a list of police suspects.
In an interview with yesterday's Sun newspaper, Townshend said: " It's important police are able to convince themselves that, if I did anything illegal, I did it purely for research."
