Spy chief hauled to court – for putting hand on woman’s knee in party game
Assault claim after drunken ‘Truth or Dare’
‘It caused her embarrassment’
A FORMER spy chief yesterday admitted assaulting a dinner party guest by resting his hand on her knee during a ‘truth or dare’ style game.
Brian Lord OBE, 56, an exdeputy director at GCHQ, had originally been accused by the woman of a sexually motivated attack over two to three minutes during the party game.
He had been due to stand trial for sexual assault at Gloucester Crown Court. But at the last minute the prosecution laid a second charge of common assault and Lord pleaded guilty to the alternative offence.
Three judges who previously dealt with the case had questioned whether it was in the public interest to proceed with it in view of its ‘minor nature’, Lord’s barrister said.
Lord, who now works in cyber security in the private sector, was conditionally discharged and ordered to pay the woman £100 compensation, plus £200 costs.
Judge Michael Cullum formally declared him not guilty of sexual assault after the prosecution did not proceed with that charge.
Lord, of Churchdown, Gloucestershire, and his partner Natasha Marshall had been guests at a dinner party hosted by a colleague on November 26 last year. Another couple also attended.
Robert Duvall, prosecuting, said the victim had met Lord only a couple of times before and ‘nothing of an untoward nature had ever taken place’.
He added: ‘ The guests arrived separately and there were drinks and chat and socialising. The men were all sitting on one side of the glass-topped table and the ladies on the other.
‘As things progressed, a decision was made by the host for the seating to be changed. This defendant remained where he was but two of the ladies sat either side of him. The complainant was on his right. During some party games the defendant placed his hand on the lady’s knee. It was not momentary. It was there for a significant time and caused her embarrassment and awkwardness.
‘She felt she was not in a position to deal with the situation by speaking to this defendant, expressing her concern, or leaving the table.
‘Eventually, the defendant’s partner left the table. It seems she may have seen his hand and the position it was in. She withdrew to the kitchen followed by the complainant. The two of them spoke together in the kitchen.
‘As a result, the defendant’s partner re-entered the sitting room and spoke to the defendant and there was an altercation, following which she left the premises.
‘The complainant was by that stage in tears and the defendant was asked to leave. He was apologetic and left without question.
‘He was emphatic that his actions, however unwise, were not sexual in nature.’
Rosemary Collins, defending, said: ‘He has never been in trouble before. He is a family man. It is such a shame that it has come to this.’ She added: ‘He accepts he put his hand on this lady’s knee for two to three minutes. This was during the course of party games. They were sexualised party games such as, “Did you ever...?”, “Have you ever...?”, that sort of thing.
‘He intended no disrespect to her at all. He accepts it was something that was stupid, done in drink. At one stage he had his hand on his partner’s knee as well. It was an action which was friendly.
‘They had all been drinking. He thought he was getting on rather well with the complainant. He admitted [to police] what he had done.
‘He doesn’t have any Legal Aid so this case has cost him a considerable amount of money. It has been a terrible strain on him and his family and for his work and so on. I can assure you he will never repeat this behaviour.’
Judge Cullum told Lord: ‘Your behaviour crossed the line to criminal behaviour, as a result of which you have lost your good name and your good character which, I know, you will have held dear.’
Lord’s position at the GCHQ, where he worked for 21 years before retiring as deputy director for intelligence and cyber operations in 2013, was not referred to in court. Online profiles call him a ‘leading thinker in the area of cyber warfare’.