Betrayal ex Tony in child porn charges

US hardcore band Betrayal say they’re “shocked and disappointed” after drummer Tony Ramirez was arrested on child porn charges.

The 22-year-old was detained by police in Vancouver, Washington in July. He appeared in court earlier this month, charged with two counts of dealing images depicting a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. He remains in jail and is expected in court again in October.

Now the six-year-old band have released a statement, distancing themselves from Ramirez and saying they broke ties with him in 2012.

They report: “Tony hasn’t been a member of Betrayal for over two years. He had some unfortunate events in his life that did not allow him to commit full-time. If you follow us you would notice that Tony hasn’t been in our promo pictures or on tour with us in quite some time.”

But they add: “We want to say how shocked and disappointed we are about the allegations. this is something we would never have expected to hear.

“We sincerely hope these allegations prove to be false – but regardless, this is something that we do not take lightly, and something that shouldn’t be reflected upon Betrayal.”

Not only is one-time online news editor Martin an established rock journalist and drummer, but he’s also penned several books on music history, including SAHB Story: The Tale of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, a band he once managed, and the best-selling Apollo Memories about the history of the legendary and infamous Glasgow Apollo. Martin has written for Classic Rock and Prog and at one time had written more articles for Louder than anyone else (we think he's second now). He’s appeared on TV and when not delving intro all things music, can be found travelling along the UK’s vast canal network.