Chadwick was arrested along with fellow Preston Council Lib Dem councillor Alan Valentine and charged with numerous sexual deviancy offences. Both men, who lived at the same address in Avenham Road, Preston, appeared before Preston Magistrates. Chadwick had previously appeared before Preston Magistrates in August of 2002 charged with making indecent photographs of a child, and incitement to kidnap, incitement to torture, incitement to rape and incitement to murder.

These were all been dropped, but the councillor still faced a charge of abduction and one of downloading indecent photographs of children from the internet. The abduction charge concerns a Preston girl who was 13 or 14 at the time of the alleged incident. The court heard how a complaint was made to police as a result of publicity over the other charges.

He was also charged with inciting John Ernest Goodyear, of Cheshire, to commit rape, torture, kidnap and murder between July 20 and July 30 of 2002. The charges came about as the result of an alleged internet chat room conversation involving Chadwick.

Chadwick resigned his position as leader of Preston City Council's LibDem group after the original charges, but his solicitor said he was innocent and would be fighting to clear his name, A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said today Chadwick was still a county councillor and deputy leader of the Lancashire County Council Lib Dem group.