A VOLUNTEER at a children's group, who has been told by a council to stay away for his own protection, today pleaded: "I just don't know how to clear my name."

Mark Brian Wignall, 37, was asked to keep away from Galligreaves and District Community base after police raided his home in a search for child pornography, only months after he says two allegations of child abuse were made against him.

Mr Wignall, who claimed he ran a weekly tea-time club for five to 12 year olds, said: "It's really tearing me apart because I'm not like that at all. All I've done is cry. I just don't know how I can clear my name."

Mr Wignall said the nightmare started last November when a woman claimed he had sexually abused a child but later said the story was false. In June, police investigated another allegation but Mr Wignall was never charged with any offence.

He said: "I don't know why that happened, it was really horrible. I was asked not to come to the community base but then three or four weeks later I started running the club again and I was asked to fill in a police clearance form to check if I had convictions."

He claimed that last month he agreed to store some boxes for an acquaintance who was moving house. He said he was "horrified" when police with warrants arrived to search his Roebuck Close home on Thursday. Police said a total of 200 videos were recovered from his and other Blackburn homes which were searched on the same morning.

Inspector Stephen Haworth, of Blackburn police, said officers were examining the videos but Brian Wignall had not been arrested or charged. Mr Wignall, who is awaiting an operation for cancerous cells in his bowel, said: "The police were only doing their job and they were very nice but my privacy felt totally invaded. They looked into all my drawers and my house felt so dirty afterwards."

The next day, he said graffiti was sprayed on his house and he has had several silent phone calls. Children regularly used to visit his house but Mr Wignall said none had been since the raid.

He said: "Obviously their parents have told them not to come, I can't blame them. I think it's fair for the council to stop me doing the club because they've got to cover their own backs. If roles were reversed I would do the same.

"Most of the parents who know me well have been very supportive. All the mothers know I'm gay and it's never been an issue. I will start the tea time club again if I'm allowed but I would not want to be on my own with a child. If something like this happened again it would kill me."

A spokeswoman for Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council said: "Allegations have been made about a user of one of the community centres and are being dealt with by the police and we have advised this particular individual not to use the centre for the time being for his own protection.

"All staff and registered volunteers working in community bases and centres are subject to police clearance as a matter of course. This would not apply to users of the centres who help out from time to time and are supervised at all times by community development officers."

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