Coronation Street actor Eric Potts has admitted to producing indecent images of children in court. The Scottish actor, best known for playing baker Diggory Compton on the soap, appeared 50 times on the famous cobbles as the 'larger-than-life' character known for his broad Northern humour and nosiness.
Arrest and charges
The 61-year-old was arrested in August after Lancashire Police found an internet user had uploaded an 'indecent video of a child' to a file-sharing website. Police raided his home of 20 years in Bacup, Lancashire, linked to the account and arrested Potts, who has also starred in Brookside and an episode of Doctor Who.
After police seized his devices, the married father-of-two was found to have shared five images on July 16, 2024. He was summoned to Blackburn Magistrates' Court, where he pleaded guilty to all charges.
Court proceedings
Prosecutor Safia Hussain said: 'Police officers attended the defendant's home address and, seized a PC, an HP Laptop and an iPhone. They were taken for examination by the digital forensic unit, and a number of indecent images were found on the devices. The defendant was therefore charged with making and distributing images of Categories A, B, and C.'
A Lancashire Constabulary spokesman said: 'On August 20 last year we received information that the user of a file sharing account had uploaded an indecent video of a child to the internet. Officers from the Internet Child Exploitation Team attended the address linked to the account and arrested Eric Potts on suspicion of possession and distribution of indecent images of children. He was subsequently bailed pending further enquiries. Following an examination of his devices more illegal imagery was found and Potts, 61, of Bacup, was further arrested. He was charged in September this year and appeared at Blackburn Magistrates' Court on October 1 where he pleaded guilty.'
Sentencing
He will be sentenced at Burnley Crown Court next month.
