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Friday March 24, 4:08 PM
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LONDON (Reuters) - A court has spared a founding member of 1970s Scottish pop sensation the Bay City Rollers from going to prison after he admitted possession of child pornography.
The court in Edinburgh sentenced 48-year-old former drummer Derek Longmuir to 300 hours community service after he confessed to having indecent films, videos and photographs at his house.
Police had raided Longmuir's house after a tip-off.
Longmuir, who was working as a senior nurse at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, has also been suspended from his job.
Longmuir had told the court that although the material was in his possession, it belonged to an American friend. He said he had not looked at the images and had no interest in pornography.
Longmuir's case came just two months after 1970s "glam rocker" Gary Glitter was released from prison after serving two months for possessing hardcore child pornography.
The Bay City Rollers, led by singer Les McKeown, sparked a craze for all things tartan and flew to Number One in the UK singles charts in 1975 with "Bye-bye baby". "Saturday Night" topped the U.S. charts later that year.
The band split in 1979 but vast numbers of loyal fans still meet for conventions to swap memorabilia.
Longmuir's case was the latest in a series of "Roller" crimes and controversies since the band split.
Lead singer McKeown was charged with reckless driving after hitting and killing a 75-year- old widow. Former member Ian Mitchell starred in a pornographic movie and the band's former manager Tam Patton was jailed for committing indecent acts with underage teenagers.
Four Roller members regrouped and played at millennium celebrations in Edinburgh. The group had tried to reform and tour once before in 1992 but an unemployed music fan stole their guitars and hid them in a derelict house.
He later said he was trying to "save the world from the Bay City Rollers."