A recent article in the New York Post was discussing the controversy of Pete Townshend being targeted as a ‘sex offender’ before the Super Bowl. This controversy began when the legendary rock band “The Who” was announced as the entertainers for the Super Bowl halftime show. Here are the details from the article:
A child advocacy group has sent out leaflets warning of the arrival of a sex offender to Florida — legendary guitarist Pete Townshend. The activists are outraged that the 64-year-old rocker will perform with “The Who” at the halftime show during the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 in Miami.
The group is upset because Townshend was busted in 2003 for accessing child porn on the Internet. At the time, Townsend was placed on the sex offender registry for five years after he admitted using his credit card to view the images.
Last month, Protect Our Children lobbied the feds and Florida’s attorney general, asking them to reject Townshend’s visa. “We acknowledge he was not convicted, but he was on the UK sex offenders list,” said Protect Our Children President Kevin Gillick. “In the United States, you’re on a sex offenders list for life.”
The group put together a flyer that features a photo of a smiling Townshend under the headline “Sex Offender Advisory,” according to Gawker.com. The leaflet, which was distributed to some 1,500 homes in the Miami-area this week, warns: “Townshend is a British citizen who was registered as a sex offender in his home country in 2003, for an offense related to child pornography. He will be at large in Miami … when he arrives to perform at the Super Bowl with his musical group known as ‘The Who.’ This is a community notification distributed in the interest of public safety.”…
As the president of Protect Our Children stated: “In the United States, you’re on a sex offenders list for life.” In the UK, there is a limited time for which an individual is forced to register and held accountable for past mistakes, even after having paid his time to society. In Germany, an individual’s privacy rights are very strong, under the claim that after serving their time, continued reporting could impede the individuals rehabilitation.
In the United States, we are not concerned with facilitating individuals rehabilitation, or helping them integrate back in society. While we offer expungments for many crimes, there are areas that society refuses to forgive and forget. In some of these cases, all you can do is get the best attorney you can find. An attorney that will fight for you. If you’re facing criminal charges, talk to us before you find yourself in a situation without a way out.
Landon J. Ascheman, Esq.
Landon@AschemanSmith.com
(B) 612.217.0077 (C) 651.280.9533 (F) 651.344.0700
