Councillor Alex Folkes says investigation over indecent pictures of children established his innocence

Claiming that anonymous letters and emails have been sent to the press and to opposition councillors as part of a "concerted campaign," he added that police did not bring any charges and that he is determined to prove his innocence.

The Director of Education, Health and Social Care at the authority has written to schools and children’s settings in the Launceston area to alert them to a “potential risk posed by Councillor Folkes.”

READ: Cornwall Councillor Alex Folkes 'to fight' child protection allegations after being ordered to 'resign or be removed'

Writing on his blog, Cllr Folkes said: "In 2006 (and before I became a councillor) I was one of many people who was arrested when credit or debit card details were found which linked the cardholders to a site containing indecent images of children.

"I have never viewed any such images nor had I ever visited the site or any others like it. I was able to show the police that my card had been cloned at some time in the past and used illegally for various things including a hotel in Brazil. I reported that at the time and my bank refunded the money.

"Of course I cannot be sure, but that is how I believe my card details came to be linked to the site as it fits the time my card was used fraudulently. When details are stolen on the internet they tend to come in a package and hackers can also have access to your address, email, password, phone, IP address, etc, which can easily be cloned and used by another person to cover their own identity and make it look like the victim of their fraud is the guilty party.

"The police searched my computer and other electronic devices I owned. Because I had done nothing wrong, and therefore there was no evidence against me, the police did not bring any charges and they told me the matter was closed.

"I cannot blame the police for investigating based on the information they received. The whole episode put me through a huge trauma but I am reassured that they took such matters very seriously and I am glad that they were able to establish my innocence as they did.

"In 2009 when I was elected to Cornwall Council my arrest was flagged up in an enhanced CRB check. I discussed this matter with the chief legal officer of the council. He told me that he would discuss it with the then leader Councillor Alec Robertson. I heard no more about this from the legal officer, Mr Robertson or anyone else. I assume that they took the view, quite rightly, that the matter was properly dealt with by the police and considered closed.

"At some point within the past few weeks someone raised the matter with officers within Cornwall Council’s child protection team. Since then, anonymous letters and emails have been sent to the press and to opposition councillors.

"There seems to be a concerted campaign against me. Those first emails started a very difficult period in which meetings were held about me without my knowledge or involvement to discuss information and claims which they refuse to share with me.

"I have repeatedly asked officers for the information they received to be passed on to me so that I can refute it. They refused to do so. That limited information which has been shared with me I know to be untrue and they have not offered any evidence to support their outrageous claims.

Given that they refused to share the information they had, I asked officers for time to go through the laborious process of requesting the information from the various organisations concerned which would prove their claims to be wrong. They refused to give me this time and convened another secret meeting which passed judgement."

"They then made deeply libellous and completely untrue statements to organisations, other councillors and the media.

"Nevertheless, I have started the process (which is likely to take some months) of seeking the information held and then correcting it where it is false. All they have told me is that everything relates to the original investigation in 2006 and that there have been no concerns or claims made about me relating to any time before or since.

"It seems that officers are more concerned with covering their own backs than with establishing the truth. They seem to think they know better than the police did back in 2006 when they had all the evidence and were able to conduct a full and thorough investigation. On two occasions, whilst denying me the information on which they based their apparent judgement, Mr Kerr has demanded my resignation.

"In the circumstances, in an effort to protect myself, my friends, my family and the council from harm, I chose to resign from the cabinet so that I could focus on proving my innocence.

"I know the allegations are untrue and I am determined to prove it.

"The police looked into these matters fully and did not find evidence to charge me because I had never done anything wrong.

"The lesson from this episode seems to be two-fold: It does not matter if you are wholly innocent of any crime. An accusation based the fraudulent use of stolen bank details can nevertheless ruin your entire life."

Mr Folkes is demanding the council answers four questions.

• "Why, when the council knew all about my arrest - and the fact the police took no further action against me - back in 2009, did they then do nothing at all until the past few weeks? 
• "Why does the council refuse to give me access to any of the claims, evidence, or information laid against me so that I can offer a proper defence?
• "Why did the council take the extraordinary step of writing to local organisations claiming that I am a danger of children when I have never been charged with, let alone convicted of, any wrongdoing?
• "Why was Mr Kerr allowed to press release this matter without any warning, putting me and others in danger of some sort of vigilante action given the incredibly partial and untrue statements given to the press?"