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A Conservative think tank unwittingly invited a paedophile onto a boat party with underage revellers.

Guests at the bash were left outraged after child porn hoarder Richard Neate was sighted on board, just months after he was sentenced.

The 28-year-old was found with indecent images of children as young as six and had a video of a man having sex with a dog.

But the Adam Smith Institute welcomed Neate aboard their annual invite-only cruise down the Thames past Parliament.

The Institute insisted the party was for over 18s, but after guests claimed 16 year olds were aboard, admitted under 18s had been present.

The libertarian think tank is favoured by top Tory MPs including Jacob Rees-Mogg.

(Image: AFP/Getty Images)

Neate has been pictured enjoying a night out with another Conservative MP who backs the group.

None of these figures were present at the boat party, and none were aware of his crimes.

One appalled partygoer said the paedophile's appearance came after a pal was banned from attending the same shindig for criticising the group publicly.

She said: “It’s 2018, and a think-tank lets men get away with being literally sex offenders, but not women who express dissatisfaction.”

She added: “There were under 18s on the boat.”

Neate walked free in October 2017 with a three-year community order and 150 hours of unpaid work.

He was put on the sex offenders’ register for five years after more than 200 videos and images were found on his computers.

Neate, from Cambridge, was snared after police investigated a series of tweets he had sent knocked at his door.

After searching his hard drives they found the horrific abuse images.

He told police he had been “running a business selling adult porn to other adults” but this had spiralled into him searching the dark web for images of child abuse.

There were 129 of the worst category A “moving” images discovered by police, as well as 76 category B and eight category C pictures.

Neate admitted performing sex acts while watching the material and said he was sexually interested in children about 15 years old.

Judge David Farrell QC told Neate “You won’t be getting a second chance” after letting him stay in the community under close watch.

He appeared at the ASI party less than a year into his punishment.

Attendees at the July 3 invite-only party complained to officials that Neate had been allowed on-board.

But bosses were silent, they said, and did not listen to their complaints.

One said “Many guests, some who were underage, wanted something to be done then the ASI did nothing and ignored it”, adding they were “disgusting”.

The shindig was the annual celebration for their The Next Generation group, an important social event for young conservatives.

On its website the Institute brands it a “network for classical liberals and libertarians under the age of 30. It meets in Westminster most months of the year.”

They add: “TNG events are a great way to meet like-minded people, learn more about libertarian ideas, and get involved with the work of the Adam Smith Institute.

“In addition to its regular meetings, The Next Generation also hosts an annual summer party aboard a boat cruising down the Thames- an event which has become something of a Westminster institution.”

Recent guests have included former MPs Liz Truss, Douglas Carswell and former Brexit minister David Davis.

Matt Kilcoyne, head of communications at the Adam Smith Institute, said: “The Next Generation series of events is for those between the ages of 18 and 30 interested in the ideas of classical liberalism.

"The safety of attendees at our events is of the utmost importance.

“Our boat party, held annually, was conducted with a company that operates a strict policy of photo ID for those under the age of 21.

"Thank you for bringing to our attention that someone under the age of licence could have attended.

“Over 300 invitations were sent out from an bulk email list. Unfortunately due to plus ones being invited by guests it might have been possible someone boarded the boat that should not have done so.

“Mr Neate was invited automatically as the invitation list was copied over from a previous year.

"We’ve made it clear to Mr Neate that he is not able to attend future events.”