Police Neo-Nazi approach to Art

Devon & Cornwall Police Neo-Nazi approach to Art

Article from the Daily Telegraph Published: 10:16AM BST 12 Apr 2010

Artist accuses police of being 'transfixed by childhood sexuality'

A world famous artist has criticised (Cornwall) police for being "transfixed by childhood sexuality" after he was taken to court accused of being a paedophile.


The case against Graham Ovenden, 67, whose work has been displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum, The Tate and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, was thrown out by a judge last week.

His portraits are mostly a mixture of paintings and photographic images of naked pre-pubescent girls which he creates on a computer at his £1.3 million Gothic home.
But following a police raid on his studio he was charged with 16 counts of making indecent images and one of possessing an indecent image of a child.

Speaking after the hearing Ovenden, of Bodmin, Cornwall, defended his work and accused the police of being ''transfixed by childhood sexuality''.
He said:
''Don't forget we are all born into this world naked and we leave nothing behind but the things we produce.

''A lot has been made of my young nudes work. But it is really a small part of my output.
''I have a large and varied collection of important work. If you had asked people at the time if it was pornographic they would have laughed at you.
''It seems to me that police are totally and utterly transfixed by childhood sexuality.
''I suppose some of my work is shocking. What I am painting and what I am taking pictures of is shocking but I have no interest in what people say about me.
''I have a lot of very loyal supporters. Likewise, there are a lot of people who think I am the most outrageous pervert.
''I don't have a live television, I don't have the internet, a car or a mobile telephone. I think that makes me a pretty poor example of a paedophile.''

Internationally-acclaimed Ovenden is a painter, fine art photographer and writer, who has displayed all over the world.

In 1975 he founded the artistic movement the 'Brotherhood of Ruralists' with then-wife Jann Haworth and fellow artists Graham Arnold and David Inshaw.

Officers stormed his large home in November 2006 but following a three-year investigation the case was thrown out last week at Truro Crown Court.

Judge Christopher Elwen criticised the Crown Prosecution Service for failing to call two police officers who were set to appear as witnesses.

He said these ''serious failures'' would hinder a fair trial and he had no option but to discharge the case.

Ovenden denied all charges before the case was thrown out, and said he had hoped a full trial would reveal the nature of his work and clear his name.

He said: ''Common sense would say to you that an image of a child nude is simply a beautiful image.
''The pornography is in the eye of a person looking at it should they feel that way. It is not in the eye of the creator - not this creator, anyway.''

Ovenden is estranged from his artist wife Annie Ovenden and his daughter Emily is a writer and singer with the Mediaeval Babes, an ensemble of female musicians.
He has written books on the photographic work of Lewis Carroll and Lewis Hine and his 'Pre-Raphaelite Photographers' book is considered the classic work on the subject.

Ovenden was tutored by Lord David Cecil and Sir John Betjeman and attended the Southampton School of Art, and graduated from the Royal College of Art in 1968.
Some of the work seized by police in the raid on his home has since been returned.

Pink Pasty:- This case so smacks of exactly the vile (& homophobic in my case) experience I have had of Cornwall police and their Neo-Nazi attitude towards Art and six years of relentless Cornwall police homophobic vendetta which has followed against me since 2004.

I cannot help but wonder if the two Cornwall police officers who failed to be called by the CPS, were any of the corrupt & dishonest Cornwall police officers which I have personally encountered, name & would personally testify against in a court of law.

Since police have continued to target me, I been driven by police to attempt suicide, I no longer paint or sculpt due to panic attacks & due to relentless targeting by police I no longer drive & do not leave the house without a witness.

NB:- This blog was started specifically in 2007 due to direct contribution by multiple homophobic harassment, attitudes & practises, failure of 'duty of care', misconduct & or contribution to police criminality & abuse of power in abusing gay persons as contributed too by ALL of the following Devon & Cornwall Constabulary police officers since 2004 (on going) to my factual knowledge & experience

....DC WOODS (retired)
DC SCOTT (Camborne)
DC ANNING (Camborne)
DC CROWE (Camborne)
DC PARKER (& his DS at Camborne)
DS BECKERLEGGE (Camborne)
PC TAR & accomplice (Black Female Police colleague) (Camborne)
PC FULLER (Helston)
PC TRELOAR (Helston)
PC ALEXANDER & Police Colleague,
PC PIPER (Diversity Officer)
PC CANNON (Diversity officer)
Sgt. ROWE (Helston)
Inspector BOLT (Camborne)
Inspector EASTERN (Professional Standards Unit),
Various Custody officers from Camborne Police Station 2004,
Three Helston Police Officers on duty evening Flora Day Helston 2006,
Former Chief Constable Maria Wallis
Former Acting Chief Constable Nigel Arnold
Chief Constable Stephen Otter.

...This is NOT the complete list of violating & abusive Devon & Cornwall Police officers or employees I know personally and factually to be responsible for contribution to prejudice & abuse of gay persons in Cornwall.

Until the Devon & Cornwall Constabulary address these issues of police homophobic conduct by known, identified, named &/or identifiable homophobic police scum, I will continue to blog their names on the internet.

Police = They ARE the abusive Homophobic Hate Crime problem STILL in Cornwall 2010