Suspended jail sentence for sex attack

A veteran union rep has been given a suspended jail term for sexually assaulting a woman at a property in Scarborough.

Graham Newbould, 58, a health-and-safety officer and member of the Home Guard Club in Scarborough, locked the victim in a room before pinning her down.

He then sexually assaulted her as the terrified victim tried in vain to push him off, York Crown Court heard.

The shocking incident went unreported for six years before the victim finally plucked up the courage to file a complaint to police.

Newbould, of Colescliffe Road, Scarborough, immediately owned up to the offence when he was brought in for police questioning this summer. He appeared for sentence on Monday after pleading guilty to sexual assault.

Prosecutor Jon Gregg said the married father-of-two was a highly-respected union rep at a local frame manufacturer where he worked as a factory operative.

He added that the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had repeatedly told Newbould to get off her.

“She was crying and struggling ferociously but [she said] he had the strength of a mad man,” said Mr Gregg. “He was holding her down; she couldn’t get away.”

The assault, in 2009, wasn’t reported until the spring of this year after the woman opened up to a support worker.

Mr Gregg said Newbould - who was prone to bouts of heavy drinking at the time told officers that the woman had “said ‘no’ all the while and he knew what he was doing was wrong”.

The barrister said the woman had been left a nervous wreck by the attack and was taking medication for it. She was now scared of walking on her own around town.

Defence barrister Taryn Turner said Newbould was otherwise a hard-working man who had held down the same job in frame-manufacturing for over 40 years and been a union rep for 30 years.

She added that Newbould, who has no previous convictions, felt “great shame” for his terrible crime and was now a “broken man”, but his wife was standing by him.

Judge Paul Batty QC gave Newbould a two-year suspended jail term with 150 hours’ unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay the victim £2,000 compensation.

MrBattybannedNewbould from contacting the victim and placed him on the sex-offenders’ register for 10 years.