'Porn' photo owned by Elton investigated

Police are investigating an explicit photo owned by Sir Elton John after it was seized from a gallery to which the singer had donated it.

The piece, which was taken by photographer Nan Goldin, showed two young girls - one sitting provocatively with her legs wide open - and was given to The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead.

But one of the gallery bosses withdrew the picture a day before the exhibition was due to begin and called the authorities because he was concerned that it could be deemed offensive.

John is said to be a fan of the work of Goldin, who is known for her images of semi-clothed young girls, because of the images' "directness, truth and poignancy".

The photo, which is now being investigated by the Crown Prosecution Service over whether the gallery had broken the law in using the picture, was used as one of 4,000 in the gallery's Sir Elton John Photographic Collection.

A police spokesperson said: "Who owns it or owned it is also part of the investigation."

So far Sir Elton John's representatives have not commented.