A FORMER Salisbury District councillor has been thrown out of the Tory party after being arrested in connection with a child pornography investigation.

John King, who represented Laverstock and Ford until the council was abolished at the end of last month,was arrested on March 31 and released on police bail pending further investigation.

He has not been charged with any offences Mr King had been due to stand as a candidate for the new Wiltshire Council in the June elections but Wiltshire’s Conservative Party agent, Dirk Russell, confirmed Mr King has stood down as a candidate.

He said: “I can confirm he was thrown out of the party a number of weeks ago.”

Mr Russell declined to comment on the reasons for Mr King’s departure.

Mr King has been involved in the Royal Society of Arts, which has been campaigning for wider public involvement in shaping the future development of Salisbury.

He is also active in the Laverstock and Ford Watermeadow and Downland Trust and has campaigned for Laverstock to retain its separate rural identity in terms of planning and development, and not be swallowed up in the city of Salisbury.

David McMullin, sector commander for Wiltshire Police, said: “We can confirm that we are investigating a case of possessing indecent images of children and, as a result of our inquiries, a 55-year-old local man has been arrested.

“He has subsequently been released on police bail pending further inquiries.