A CRIMINAL investigation has been launched into councillors' behaviour following a disgraced colleague's conviction for child porn offences.

Former Tottington Labour councillor Simon Carter admitted possessing indecent images of children, but was spared jail in September, 2015.

Carter was found to be in possession of a total of 30 indecent images that had been deleted from computers searched by police and Bury Children’s Services and was given a three-year community order by a judge.

Police have now disclosed that officers are investigating an allegation of perverting the course of justice in the Carter case, which was heard at Bolton Crown Court.

A GMP spokesman said: "In December, 2017 police have been made aware of an allegation of perverting the course of justice in Bury following a court case.

"Officers have launched an investigation and enquiries are ongoing."

Police would not confirm who was being investigated in relation to the allegation.

Last year, an independent investigation commissioned by Bury Council into the town hall's handling of the case led to the resignations of ex-council chief executive Mike Owen and another senior officer, Mark Carriline.

Former council leader Cllr Mike Connolly was also suspended by the Labour Party following the publication of a report by Charles Bourne QC, which found that Mr Owen broke child safeguarding policy in the Carter case in order to protect Cllr Connolly and the Labour Party ahead of an election.

Cllr Connolly was informed of the allegations by Mr Owen on April 1, 2015, but the chief executive took no action to inform Bury Council officers tasked with safeguarding children.

The former council leader later described Carter as ‘trustworthy, honest, and reliable’ in a character reference letter, adding that the charges against him were ‘totally out of character’.

In sparing Carter a prison sentence, Judge Timothy Stead said that letters of testimony submitted to the court, including others from family and friends, were 'impressive'.

Work on a further investigation by Mr Bourne into the conduct of councillors and town hall officers in the handling of the Carter case is ongoing.

Earlier this month, former Bury Conservative leader Cllr Iain Gartside was cleared by a town hall panel of breaching the authority's code of conduct during probes into the handling of the Carter safeguarding affair.

Cllr David Jones resigned his position on the Bury Council Standards Committee in response, calling the hearing a 'farce'.