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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Ross Knowles: Embezzlement

Ross Knowles

Ross Knowles, a 42-year-old boss at Kent County Council, is alleged to have siphoned off funds meant for big energy companies - which he used to buy a Jaguar car and trips abroad.

The respected 'golden boy' of his sector cashed in invoices for as much as £400,000-a-time into his own personal account, a court was told.

A jury heard that British Gas and NPower were two of the companies he defrauded, before being caught out.

Knowles worked with the Local Authority South East Region (Laser) buying energy for Kent County Council in 2007, Maidstone Crown Court heard.

Over a 14-month period, Knowles - who earned a salary of £66,000 a year - extracted more than £2million and kept it for himself, the court was told.

Allison Clare, prosecuting, told the jury that the Cambridge graduate was regarded as 'a bit of a star' and a 'golden boy'.

She said: 'He was a huge asset to Laser, everybody thought. That may be why he was able to perpetrate the fraud.

'The essence of the fraud is really very simple.'

Knowles would ask British Gas and NPower to add an extra charge at their end of their dealings as a 'comfort blanket', Miss Clare told the court.

This was meant to be reclaimed by Kent County Council and Laser at the end of the year.

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Stephanie Brookfield: Drunk and Disorderly

Stephanie Brookfield, who is standing for Labour in the Earcroft ward of Darwen in May’s elections, was arrested at Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Molineux stadium on Saturday.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “We can confirm a 50-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly at Molineux football ground on Saturday.

“She was arrested after complaints from ground staff.

“She was taken to Wolverhampton Police Station, where she was given a caution and released.”

Miss Brookfield, who is active among Rovers fans who have been protesting against owners Venky’s, said: “During the match, a large number of people were protesting against Venky’s.

“Unfortunately, some of them were arrested.

“I am a passionate and vocal Rovers supporter and always have been.

“The police kept me at the station before throwing me out after a couple of hours.

“I missed my coach home as a result.”

Miss Brookfield will still be standing at the forthcoming elections.

Labour councillor for Earcroft Trevor Maxfield said: “Stephanie is a passionate Blackburn Rovers fan and is down at Ewood week in week out. We are fully behind her.”

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Warren Bradley: Perjury

Warren Bradley (Liberal Democrat cllr)

Ex-Liberal Democrat leader of Liverpool City Council Warren Bradley pleaded guilty to one count of perjury at Liverpool Magistrates' Court and was ordered by District Judge Miriam Shelvey to pay a £1,000 fine, £75 in costs and a £15 victim surcharge. It follows a 10-month police investigation into how his son, Daniel, came to be nominated to stand in last year's local elections.

Bradley signed Daniel's nomination form to stand in the May 5 contest as a witness although his son was not present and had not yet signed the form agreeing to put himself forward as a candidate.

The 19-year-old subsequently claimed that his signature was a "fake" and that he did not want to stand. Section 5 of the Perjury Act forbids any person from making a false statutory declaration.

The serving firefighter and councillor for Liverpool's Wavertree ward on Friday admitted signing the consent of nomination form as a witness when his son was not present. It also emerged that Bradley's mother, Pam, had been cautioned by police for forging Daniel's signature.

However Bradley's lawyer, James Murray, denied that his client's teenage son had been put forward as a candidate without his knowledge and claimed that Daniel's statement to police came in the midst of an "acrimonious divorce" between Bradley and his wife, Pauline.

Simon Orme, for the prosecution, told the court that in March last year Pauline Bradley contacted an electoral officer and asked him to inspect the nomination papers as her son "knew nothing" about them. Local newspapers the Daily Post and the Liverpool Echo subsequently ran stories on the matter and this was later followed by a police investigation.

Mr Orme said Daniel told police: "I can confirm I did not agree to be a candidate, I am not prepared to lie for anybody", as he was interested in pursuing a career in the Royal Air Force rather than politics.

James Murray, mitigating, said his client had already made a "full and frank admission" to signing the nomination form without his son being present, which he described as the "essential mischief" in the case.

District Judge Shelvey said she had seen "little remorse" from Bradley, who shook his head as he was sentenced. She said: "You have chosen to lay the blame on others rather than accept you were in the wrong or just apologise and simply say you were sorry."

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Christine Channon: Drunk driving

Christine Channon (Tory cllr)

Conservative Christine Channon – portfolio holder for education and schools at Devon County Council – has been charged with driving under the influence of excess alcohol.

Channon, of Cricket Field Lane, Budleigh Salterton, was breathalysed by police officers following an alleged collision with a parked car.

The alleged incident took place on Saturday, February 25, at 6.40pm. Police were alerted by a member of the public.

Channon, who represents Budleigh Salterton, was subsequently arrested following a roadside breath test.

A police spokesman said: "The arrest followed a roadside breath test which was undertaken following a minor road traffic collision with the suspect's vehicle and a parked car."

She will appear at Exeter Magistrates' Court today, charged with driving with excess alcohol. The reading taken was 61mcg in 100ml of breath, police said. The legal limit is 35mcg.

Channon is one of Devon's best known councillors. She is chair of the county's Children's Trust Board, the Devon Local Admissions Forum and is the Teachers Joint Consultative chair. She is also on the Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education.

The councillor has since been banned from driving for 14 months by Exeter magistrates and must take a driving rehabilitation course.

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