Oxford News
Update on Raise the Colours man on trial for ‘child porn’
Cullen was due to appear before a jury at Reading Crown Court on July 1 having been charged with three counts of making indecent child images.
The 45-year-old, who led the Oxfordshire wing of the hard-right-backed movement, was accused of making 22 indecent category A photographs, including one moving image, in Wallingford on March 25, 2021.
He is also accused of making indecent pseudo-photographs, namely 36 Category B images of children at the same place and on the same date as well as making 20 Category C images of children.
READ MORE: ‘Raise the Colours’ leader to stand trial on child pornography charges
Cullen, who lives in Wallingford, was spotted in Reading Crown Court on Wednesday, July 1 ahead of the trial, but this will now start on Thursday. The jury has been sworn in.
Raise the Colours Oxfordshire has been putting up flags across the county, from Wallingford to Wantage and from Oxford to Witney.
Earlier this month, Oxfordshire County Council won an injunction against the group and four members including Cullen to stop putting up flags.
Oxfordshire County Council said it brought legal action to stop people raising flags near highways, saying it involved safety risks, as well as trespass and obstruction.
After a short hearing at the High Court where the group represented themselves, the group members agreed not to put up more flags, not to encourage others to do so, and not to obstruct any council worker or contractor taking them down.
WCB Comedy Presents: Stand Up in Abingdon
WCB Comedy is bringing a sensational night of stand-up to Abingdon Sports & Leisure, and they’ve pulled out all the stops with one of the most recognisable names in British comedy!
Headlining the evening is the legendary Rory Bremner — one of the UK’s greatest ever impressionists and satirists, with a career spanning decades of television, live performance and razor-sharp political comedy. If you’ve never seen Rory live, this is your chance — and if you have, you’ll know exactly why you shouldn’t miss it.
Completing a superb line-up are the talented Ross Smith and Tal Davies, with the night expertly held together by MC Justin Panks.
Date: Saturday 12th September
Doors: 6:00pm
Show Starts: 7:00pm
Venue: Abingdon Sports & Leisure, Abingdon
Please note: This show contains adult content and is subject to a Parental Advisory. Not suitable for under 18s.
When Ben Higgins stood down from his cabinet role at the council and became an independent, he failed to respond to requests for comment on his departure.
Now, questioned on whether he would provide clarity for the people who elected him and explain his decision, Mr Higgins has continued to refuse to comment.
He said: “It’s not something I’m willing to comment publicly on at the moment, I’m afraid.”
Mr Higgins added: “The only point I’ve really got to make is that, during my brief period as an independent, I was still actively working for my residents.
“I challenge anyone to have gone to more annual parish meetings than I did over the course of May and early June, and I’m delighted to be back in the group.”
His return was heralded by council leader Tim Bearder as “providing stability so that we can get on with the job”.
The situation was raised in full council on Tuesday, June 30, as it meant recently appointed scrutiny committees had to change again to ensure political balance.
Green Group leader Ian Middleton said: “This is the second time in as many months that we’ve had to re‑jig the council as a result of an internal issue within the Liberal Democrat group.
“Last time, we were unceremoniously banged back into this chamber on a change of leadership, for reasons that have not really been fully explained by the Lib Dems to date.
“As a result of the latest change in the leadership of the Lib Dem group, members of my group, who put a lot of effort into the new committees that we’ve been appointed to are now seeing all that work wasted.
“That’s frustrating.”
Mr Higgins’ departure was followed by that of Nick Cotter who became an independent after being “suspended” by the national party – he has not since rejoined.
There were also changes to the administration, including the replacement of the leader and transport boss.
Mr Middleton suggested the Lib Dems rebrand due to their “somewhat fluid membership” to avoid “any further hokey‑cokey in‑out, in‑out situations”.
Responding, deputy leader and resources boss Neil Fawcett (Lib Dem) said: “We are still struggling a little bit with having 35 of the 69 council seats in this chamber, which increases the chances, on average, that we may have movement in and out of our group.”
He thanked the councillors who had been affected by the changes, adding “I do appreciate that it must be very frustrating”.
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