Businessman in court over child porn
Video-shop owner Steve Ayres, 53, faces 18 counts of possessing and making indecent photos of a child between January and December of 2002.
Mr Ayres, of Wilton Road, spoke only to confirm his name, age and address during a five-minute hearing at Brighton Magistrates' Court on Tuesday morning.
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Hide AdMr Ayres owns and runs TVC video shops in Devonshire Road and Ninfield Road.
He is a former Bexhill Chamber of Commerce president and is currently a prominent member of the Rotary Club of Senlac and a former Town Centre and Tourism Action Group member.
In January his Devonshire Road shop was gutted in a suspected arson attack, causing 100,000 damage to stock.
Magistrates adjourned his case until February 3 for committal papers to be prepared. He was granted unconditional bail. No plea to the charges was entered.