Chris Denning
Encyclopedia
Chris Denning is an English
disc jockey
. His career was effectively over when he was revealed as a paedophile, and he has spent three decades in and out of prison in Britain and Eastern Europe. He is currently serving a five-year term in a Slovakian prison for child sex offences.
before travelling to Kenya to work on British Forces Network there with Keith Skues
. He then returned to the UK in time to become the first announcer heard on the new BBC Television service BBC Two
. He worked for Radio Luxembourg
and Radio London
before presenting the Saturday afternoon programme Where It's At with Kenny Everett
(produced by Johnny Beerling
) on the BBC
's Light Programme. He then became one of the original DJs on BBC Radio 1
, where he continued presenting Where It's At, had his own weekly show and deputised as necessary for Tony Blackburn
on his breakfast show.
He has also narrated a number of driver's eye view videos for Video 125.
Denning was part of a group of child sex offenders based around a disco for young people in Walton-on-Thames
, Surrey. Other well-known participants included Tam Paton
, manager of the Bay City Rollers
, and Jonathan King
. All became targets of Surrey Police's Operation Arundel that focused on sex offenders based at the Walton Hop, which ultimately led to convictions against King and Denning (who was extradited from the Czech Republic to face charges), and at least one other man. In a 2001 interview while held in Pankrac prison, Denning complained that Jonathan King
had not spoken to him since firing him in 1974 from the record company they ran (UK Records) saying 'He sacked me when I got into trouble for the very same thing that he is accused of. We haven't been friends since. I was dismayed that he sacked me but I was more dismayed that he abandoned me as a friend'.
In 2008 he was extradited back out of Britain (where he had served two years of a further four year sentence) and jailed in October for five years by a court in Slovakia
, where he had been living prior to his extradition to Britain, on charges of producing child pornography
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
. His career was effectively over when he was revealed as a paedophile, and he has spent three decades in and out of prison in Britain and Eastern Europe. He is currently serving a five-year term in a Slovakian prison for child sex offences.
Radio career
Denning's first radio experience was on a short-wave station in the US as a teenager, and then on to Radio MoscowVoice of Russia
Voice of Russia is the Russian government's international radio broadcasting service owned by the All-Russia State Television and Radio Company. Its predecessor Radio Moscow was the official international broadcasting station of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.-Early years:Radio Moscow...
before travelling to Kenya to work on British Forces Network there with Keith Skues
Keith Skues
Keith Skues MBE is a British radio personality. He is nicknamed "Cardboard Shoes".Skues was born in Timperley, Cheshire. His broadcasting career began on the British Forces Network in Cologne, Germany in 1958. This was followed by overseas tours to Kuwait, Kenya and Aden...
. He then returned to the UK in time to become the first announcer heard on the new BBC Television service BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
. He worked for Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg (English)
Radio Luxembourg is a commercial broadcaster in many languages from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is nowadays known in most non-English languages as RTL ....
and Radio London
Wonderful Radio London
Radio London, also known as Big L and Wonderful Radio London, was a top 40 offshore commercial station that operated from 16 December 1964 to 14 August 1967, from a ship anchored in the North Sea, three and a half miles off Frinton-on-Sea, Essex, England...
before presenting the Saturday afternoon programme Where It's At with Kenny Everett
Kenny Everett
Kenny Everett was an English comedian, radio DJ and television entertainer. Born Maurice James Christopher Cole, Everett is best known for his career as a radio DJ and for the Kenny Everett television shows.-Early life:...
(produced by Johnny Beerling
Johnny Beerling
John William Beerling is a veteran radio producer and station controller.-National Service:He began his radio career during his national service from 1955-7 when he ran a radio station for the Royal Air Force station British Forces Aden in the Aden Protectorate, acting as its station manager,...
) on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Light Programme. He then became one of the original DJs on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, where he continued presenting Where It's At, had his own weekly show and deputised as necessary for Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn
Tony Blackburn is an English disc jockey, who broadcast on the "pirate" stations Radio Caroline and Radio London in the 1960s and was the first disc jockey to broadcast on BBC Radio 1 in 1967. In 2002 he was the winner of the ITV reality TV programme I'm a Celebrity.....
on his breakfast show.
He has also narrated a number of driver's eye view videos for Video 125.
Convictions
Denning's first conviction for gross indecency and indecent assault was in 1974, when he was convicted at the Old Bailey. In 1985 he was imprisoned for 18 months for gross indecency with a child, and again in 1988 when he was jailed for three years for indecent assault on a 13 year old boy and possession of indecent photographs. In March 1996 he was imprisoned again for 10 weeks for publishing indecent photographs.Denning was part of a group of child sex offenders based around a disco for young people in Walton-on-Thames
Walton-on-Thames
Walton-on-Thames is a town in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey in South East England. The town is located south west of Charing Cross and is between the towns of Weybridge and Molesey. It is situated on the River Thames between Sunbury Lock and Shepperton Lock.- History :The name "Walton" is...
, Surrey. Other well-known participants included Tam Paton
Tam Paton
Thomas Dougal "Tam" Paton , was the manager and primary spokesman during the 1970s of the Scottish band, the Bay City Rollers....
, manager of the Bay City Rollers
Bay City Rollers
The Bay City Rollers were a Scottish pop band who were most popular in the 1970s. The British Hit Singles & Albums noted that they were "tartan teen sensations from Edinburgh", and were "the first of many acts heralded as the 'Biggest Group since The Beatles' and one of the most screamed-at...
, and Jonathan King
Jonathan King
Jonathan King is an English singer, songwriter, impresario and record producer. He is also the author of three novels, Bible Two and The Booker Prize Winner , and Beware the Monkey Man , and an autobiography, 65 My Life So Far .King first came to prominence as an...
. All became targets of Surrey Police's Operation Arundel that focused on sex offenders based at the Walton Hop, which ultimately led to convictions against King and Denning (who was extradited from the Czech Republic to face charges), and at least one other man. In a 2001 interview while held in Pankrac prison, Denning complained that Jonathan King
Jonathan King
Jonathan King is an English singer, songwriter, impresario and record producer. He is also the author of three novels, Bible Two and The Booker Prize Winner , and Beware the Monkey Man , and an autobiography, 65 My Life So Far .King first came to prominence as an...
had not spoken to him since firing him in 1974 from the record company they ran (UK Records) saying 'He sacked me when I got into trouble for the very same thing that he is accused of. We haven't been friends since. I was dismayed that he sacked me but I was more dismayed that he abandoned me as a friend'.
In 2008 he was extradited back out of Britain (where he had served two years of a further four year sentence) and jailed in October for five years by a court in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
, where he had been living prior to his extradition to Britain, on charges of producing child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
.