A SHAMED Newport city councillor pleaded guilty to making, possessing and distributing child pornography.

Dean Jenkins, Tory member for Graig, was caught by police in December as part of an FBI-led probe.

Yesterday he admitted 39 charges in a hearing at Newport crown court.

Measures are now under way to expel the 43-year-old, of The Coppice, Lower Machen, from the local Conservative Party.

Newport council's Conservative Party leader, Councillor Matthew Evans, said he felt disappointed in Jenkins.

He said: "We take this kind of thing seriously. There is no place for this within the party or within a decent society.

"We expect the sentence to reflect the seriousness of the charges."

Jenkins was first arrested in December as part of the FBI-led Operation Ore investigation into child pornography.

He was immediately suspended from the Conservative local group but at the time pleaded his innocence to the Argus and said he was confident he would clear his name.

Speaking last December, he said: "I am confident I will be cleared of any wrongdoing.

"It was a mistake. I accessed a site and put my credit card details in but I was foolish and didn't realise what I was doing."

But in April, following a dawn raid on his home, Jenkins was formally charged by officers.

Yesterday the unmarried former call-centre worker pleaded guilty to 39 charges of making, possessing and distributing indecent images of children.

Judge Christopher Llewellyn-Jones QC suspended sentencing for reports.

Jenkins was remanded in custody and is due to re-appear before the court on July 1.