Description
A former council senior planning officer, convicted of downloading child abuse images, is re-considering appealing his dismissal.
Kingsley Drinkwater (51), was fined 1000 and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years after he pleaded guilty in February to the charge.
After he was later dismissed by Midlothian Council for failing to inform his manager of the charge he originally appealed.
He told the Advertiser: I did appeal. They seemed to take none of my personal circumstances into it.
But my circumstances have changed now. I dont know if I would gain much from it. I had thought I had nothing to lose. But to be honest the stress of the wait has come back to me.
It probably looks worse than it is. There is a whole lot more to this.
Its something I still dont understand why I did it.
Im in a difficult situation. Im trying to get myself back together. I have had a terrible time since 2008.
It doesnt look good and I know it. But it was a minor offence that I have been fined for and thats it.
In February this year Mr Drinkwater pleaded guilty to downloading indecent photographs of children on August 23, 2013, at his home in Edinburgh.
He told the Advertiser that his life had been hell when he committed the offence.
He said: I have lost my daughter, I get limited access.
Im trying to put my life back together. I have lost pretty much everything. Its been hell. My house was repossessed. And at the moment I cant afford to pay the rent on my current house.
I have been climbing mountains for the last 10 years, particularly the last four years. Every time I think I think I have got clear something else happens.
And right now you have presented me with another mountain to get over.
I have dreaded it since February that something would happen, but there is a lot more to it than just what it says on the charge sheet.
There is people that deserve to be handled in this way. But I havent been involved in anything, just looking at stuff on the internet.
There was no offence against any person, just looking at stuff and deleting it.
Because I was at such a ridiculously low point at the time I wasnt thinking about what I was doing.
Believe it or not Im a decent person who tries to help others and always does the right thing, but I was so low at the time. My mind wasnt with it. I could have done anything.
A spokesperson for Midlothian Council said: Midlothian Council does not comment on individual disciplinary matters.