Philip Bethell: Sexual Assault

Philip Bethell (Labour)

Councillor Philip Bethell, who represents Balderstone and Kirkholt, was arrested last Thursday (2 August) after police received a report of sexual assault.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said Councillor Bethell has been questioned by officers and bailed until 16 August whilst inquiries are on-going.

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George Lord: Sexual Assault (Sentencing)

George Lord (Conservative)

Former Worcestershire County Council leader George Lord has been jailed for four years for a series of sexual assaults.

The 79-year old was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court this morning (Tuesday).

It was reported last month how Lord had pleaded guilty to three charges of indecent assault on a girl in the 1970s when he was a lay minister of a church in Droitwich and performed a number of sexual acts on the teenager.

He had already been found guilty of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old in the council chamber at Worcestershire County Council in 2010.

Lord was told he will spend at least half of his four year sentence in jail.

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George Lord: Sexual Assault

George Lord (Tory) former head of Worcestershire County Council

Disgraced ex-Tory council leader George Lord on Thursday admitted molesting a teenage girl more than 30 years ago and groping another junior member of staff in the town hall while he was in office.

Dr George Lord, 79, former head of Worcestershire County Council, assaulted the girl – aged either 14 or 15 – between 1977 and 1979 while he was a church preacher.

Lord, from Bromsgrove, Worcs., had already been convicted of sexually assaulting a 19-year-old girl in the council chamber while he was leader in 2010.

Reporting restrictions have only just been lifted to allow the media to report on the latest case.

A previous hearing was told Lord assaulted the girl by ”touching her bottom and vagina” without her consent.

Lord on Thursday pleaded guilty to three charges of indecent assault at Birmingham Crown Court.

Lord, wearing a dark shirt and grey tie, stared straight ahead during the 10-minute hearing.

He admitted indecently assaulting a 14 or 15-year-old girl between September 1977 and 1979.

Lord was remanded into custody for pre-sentence reports and was warned he faces a prison sentence.

Judge Nigel Godsmark QC told him: “You have pleaded guilty to three charges of indecent assault".

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Manish Sood: Sexual harassment

 Manish Sood (Ex-labour cllr)

Divorced Sood (40), of Roundhill Road, Leicester, appeared at the city's Crown Court to be sentenced for the offences, which he admitted.

Sood was Labour councillor for Leicester's Fosse Ward and Parliamentary candidate for Norfolk North West when he criticised Gordon Brown two years ago, making national headlines and damaging Labour's 2010 election campaign.

He was suspended from the party but readmitted in January last year. He remained Fosse councillor until the local elections last May, when he did not seek re-election.

The Crown Court hearing was told that on February 6 last year that Sood phoned one of the teenage victims after she posted an advert on the Gumtree website seeking a part-time job.

Prosecutor Sian Cutter said Sood offered to pay her £20 to lie down on a couch and have a massage, which she refused.

He continued to contact her, urging her to meet him at his home. Sood rang her 27 times and sent 15 texts.

The girl complained to a 15-year-old friend at school, who rang Sood and told him to leave her friend alone.

But Sood then directed his attention to the friend, asking if she was interested in "therapy", and sending 26 texts and phoning 152 times in three days, suggesting she visit for "physical tantra".

He told her to bring "toe rings and condoms", the court heard.

Sood suggested picking her up from school, which worried her as she had not told him where it was.

In front of a teacher, she told Sood to stop bothering her on the phone, to which he replied: "Even for £200? Let me know if you change her mind."

He was then reported to the police. When arrested, he accepted he had "sexual motives" towards the schoolgirls and claimed his medication made him "forgetful".

Ms Cutter told the court that Sood had met the 22-year-old woman through Gumtree in January last year, and she went to his home genuinely believing he was a therapist.

Sood took her to his bedroom to demonstrate relief of "aroma and tantra".

He massaged over her clothes, touching her inappropriately and kissing her stomach, causing her to freeze in fear.

Sood massaged her back, pulled down her leggings and underwear and kissed her bottom. She was too scared and uncomfortable to say anything and left, the court heard.

Sood admitted causing or inciting the two teenagers to engage in sexual activity, and to sexually assaulting the 22-year-old.

Judge Michael Pert QC said: "It's conduct of a dirty old man, and you're not even old."

Robert Underwood, mitigating, said Sood began suffering mental health difficulties in 2008, starting with thoughts someone was out to kill him. He has received psychiatric treatment and is on medication.

However, the judge told Sood: "The psychiatric report makes it plain there's no connection between this and your mental health problems."

Sood was given a three-year community order with supervision. He must attend a sex offender group work programme.

He was made the subject of a sexual offences prevention order banning unsupervised contact with children under 16 and restrictions placed on his computer use.

Mr Underwood said: "He's aware of the shame he's brought upon his family.

"His mother is in court but his brother no longer wishes to have anything to do with him.

"Another consequence is that he's lost his job.

"He's a hard working man from a caring family who are very active in their civic responsibilities.

"Other than his mental health problems, there's no explanation as to why he behaved so out of character."

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Denis Bennett: Sexual Assault

Denis Bennett (Liberal Democrat)

Denis Bennett, 50, a married father of two who had served on St Austell Town Council, convicted of Sexual assault stood in the dock at Truro Crown Court to hear the verdict. The jury took an hour and fifteen minutes to find the supermarket worker guilty of one count of indecently assaulting the 18-year-old man.

Bennett had denied the allegation at Truro Crown Court, insisting he had merely been fooling around with the teenager, admitting only that he might have gone “over the top a bit”.

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