NCTJ drops consultant after child porn conviction comes to light
Former deputy editor of the Sunday Express Andy Bull failed to tell training body of his past actions
– 1 min read
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The man charged with organising the NCTJ consultation on how to reorder its photojournalism courses has been forced to leave his role after it was discovered he has previous convictions for downloading child pornography.
Andy Bull, a former deputy editor of the Sunday Express, was working as a freelance consultant for the National Council for the Training of Journalists.
Bull had been asked to consult industry figures about the changing role of professional press photographers in the digital age.
Yet, when it came to light that Mr Bull was sentenced in 2004 to three months imprisonment after being found guilty on four counts of making an indecent photograph of a child, the training body dispensed with his services.
"It was brought to the attention of the NCTJ yesterday that Andy Bull, a freelance consultant, served a prison sentence in 2004 for convictions related to internet child pornography," said a spokesperson for the NCTJ.
"We regret that these matters were not brought to our attention by Andy Bull and under the circumstances have decided it is not appropriate for him to have future involvement with the NCTJ."
Bull resigned from his role at the Sunday Express, in 2003, after he was questioned as part of Operation Ore - which also led to the arrest of Who guitarist Pete Townsend.
Since his conviction Bull has not sought to hide his past, writing a long account of his experience for the Times.
Mr Bull told Holdthefrontpage.co.uk : "I look back with shame and regret at the events that led up to my arrest in 2003.
"In the intervening years I have been able to rebuild my family life and embark on a new phase in my journalistic career."
Written by
Laura Oliver is a freelance journalist, a contributor to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, co-founder of The Society of Freelance Journalists and the former editor of Journalism.co.uk (prior to it becoming JournalismUK)
