San Fran Radio Host Gets 7 Years For Child Porn

worldnetdaily.com ^ | August 30, 2008 | Drew Zahn

[kellynla]

A San Francisco radio host billed by his station as the "Lion of the Left" was sentenced yesterday to seven years of prison on a charge of e-mailing images of child pornography.

Bernie Ward, a former Catholic priest who is now married with four children, hosted a Sunday radio program called "God Talk" on San Francisco-area radio station KGO-AM 810 and another program on weeknights devoted to news and politics. According to several reports, Ward earned his "Lion of the Left" nickname for his outspoken and staunchly liberal viewpoints.

Ward came under FBI investigation last year after a woman with whom he exchanged sexually explicit Internet messages called police, reporting that Ward had sent her a photograph of children engaged in a sex act.

Bay Area television station KTVU-TV reported the FBI used 19 transcribed pages of Ward's conversation with the woman and a search of Ward's computer records in their investigation, leading to the discovery of dozens of child pornography photos. The Associated Press reported some of the images were of children as young as three, while others portrayed masochistic scenes of children bound and gagged. The transcripts also revealed that Ward confessed being sexually aroused by his own children.

Doron Weinberg, Ward's attorney, told KTVU that though his client claims innocence, arguing the images and Internet chat were part of journalistic research, Ward knew that the evidence against him was too condemning to drag his family through a prolonged trial.

Ward "is not a sexual predator," Weinberg told reporters, insisting "Bernie Ward is a good man."

Speaking of Ward's supposed research into child pornography, however, Weinberg did admit, "It's clear that it ended in a dark place."

[Mr. Silverback]

I was just yanking the chain to see who would get rattled.

In other words, he's just as much a schmuck as he appears to be, but for different reasons.

[pray4liberty]

Ward came under FBI investigation last year after a woman with whom he exchanged sexually explicit Internet messages called police, reporting that Ward had sent her a photograph of children engaged in a sex act.

Nice job turning him in! Glad the authorities acted on the tip.

[pray4liberty]

Ward "is not a sexual predator," Weinberg told reporters, insisting "Bernie Ward is a good man."

If he's a "good man" then what would a bad man be? A Christian?