A CITY councillor, facing a child porn charge, has stepped down as leader of the Liberal Democrat group, but says he is looking forward to coming back and serving the people.

Bill Chadwick, who is also a county councillor, was remanded in custody by magistrates on Monday and is to appear at Preston Crown Court on Tuesday, August 20.

He is charged with incitement to commit kidnap, incitement to commit torture, incitement to commit rape, and incitement to commit murder, and another charge of making indecent photographs of a child.

But Chadwick, 48, has vowed to fight to clear his name and says he is keen to get back to work.

He has served as councillor for Ingol ward since 1990 and as a county councillor for Preston Rural West since 1987.

He also stood as a parliamentary candidate for Preston, most recently losing out to Mark Hendrick last year.

In a statement issued by his solicitor David Room, he said: "I have not resigned from any position and have no intention of doing so.

"I look forward, in the near future, to continuing my duties in the city of Preston and serving the public of Lancashire."

Following Chadwick's appearance in court, the local Lib Dem group held a meeting and they said they had suspended temporarily Coun Chadwick's membership of the council group, and transferred his leadership duties to former leader Ron Marshall.

Coun Marshall said: "As Liberal Democrat councillors it would be unwise of us to speculate on these events as they go through the legal process.

"But we are looking for a happy outcome to this problem. His fellow councillors are all rallying round and are determined to get on with their work."

Chadwick, a former pupil of St Cuthbert Mayne High School, Fulwood, is currently on remand in Preston Prison.