Case adjourned for comic who admitted possessing child pornography

Tom Binns’s sentencing for possessing child pornography has been postponed until a later date.

The comic – best known for his hospital radio DJ alter-ego Ivan Brackenbury – was due in Derby Crown Court today to discover his fate.

However, the hearing has been adjourned to March 8.

Binns pleaded guilty five counts of making and one of possessing indecent images of children at a November hearing.

The 52-year-old was caught after following an investigation by the National Crime Agency, reportedly after he asked a family friend to sell three devices containing indecent images on eBay.

Earlier this month, he told Chortle he had downloaded the images in error while under the influence of drugs he was taking for his ADHD.

Biins – who had a six-part BBC One sitcom in 2017 based around his Brackenbury character  –  said: ‘Over two years ago, while under the influence of an overdose of prescription drugs for ADHD, which induced obsessive compulsive disorder, I downloaded and deleted a very large amount of adult pornography over a short period of time.

‘Within those downloads it appears there was some child pornography which I had not sought out nor wanted.

‘I have no sexual interest in children. I have taken and passed a polygraph stating I have no sexual interest in children.

‘I am bitterly upset at the hurt this has caused my family for which I take full responsibility. I will take my punishment for this and hope that my family are not further harmed by my actions.’

The comedian started his career on radio, with stints on Radio 1, Virgin, BRMB and GLR, Talksport UK, Hallam FM and Key 103.

In 1999, London station Xfm was fined a then-record £50,000 over the use of ‘coarse sexual innuendo’ when Binns and a listener discussing a bestial pornography during a phone-in about terrible jobs on his breakfast show.

And in December 2009, Binns was fired from Birmingham-based BRMB after he cut short the Queen's Christmas message. It was played into his show in error instead of the expected two-minute news bulletin, so he broke into her message by saying: ‘Two words: bore-ring’.

As a comic, he was nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award 2007 for his Brackenbury, and in 2013 was named best international act at the  New Zealand International Comedy Festival.

He also performs as the comedy psychic Ian D Montfort, pictured, having learned the tricks of cold reading. A BBC Radio 2 series based around the medium character aired in 2013. His other TV credits include  The IT Crowd, Spooks, Drifters, Fist of Fun and 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown.

• Story updated 25/1 with the new date of the sentencing

Published: 23 Jan 2023