A former Labour MP has released a statement following reports he has been charged with a child sex offence.
The BBC reported that Eric Joyce, who was the MP for Falkirk between 2000 and 2012, is accused of making an indecent photograph of a child.
It was reported he was given unconditional bail and will next appear at Ipswich Crown Court for a pre-trial hearing next month.
A statement on his website noted: “The matter of my charge, announced today, will be dealt with in the first instance on 7 July at Ipswich Crown Court at 10.00.
“I will make no comment from now until all legal processes are at a close. At that point, I will make a full statement."
The BBC reported that Joyce, of Worlingworth, Suffolk, was arrested in November 2018.
They claimed the charge against Mr Joyce alleges that he made an indecent photograph of a child.
He left the party to serve as an independent MP for Falkirk in 2012, stepping down before the 2015 general election.
As a Labour MP, he held the post of shadow Northern Ireland minister in 2010.
Joyce joined the army in 1977, serving for 21 years and rising to the rank of major.
