Sacked Corrie actor spared jail over two sex attacks at club
SHAMED ex-Coronation Street star Bruno Langley narrowly avoided jail yesterday after he admitted groping two women in a nightclub.
Langley, 34, played the soap’s first openly gay character Todd Grimshaw during his 16-year spell. But his career has been left in ruins after the drink-fuelled attacks last month.
A court heard how Langley grabbed one woman, in her 30s, by the crotch as she collected her coat during a night out with her husband at the Band on the Wall in Manchester
Afterwards a second woman in her 20s complained that Langley had “groped her boobs and bum”. The father-of-one – who has split from the mother of his son – left the show after an ITV1 investigation into the sex claims.
District Judge Mark Hadfield initially told Langley at Manchester magistrates court that he faced jail. But after hearing he had no previous convictions and was full of remorse the judge instead imposed a 12-month community order and 40 days of alcohol rehabilitation.
The jobless actor was also slapped with a 12-week tagged curfew, placed on the sex offenders’ register for five years and told to pay each victim £250.
A court heard how two other women also complained Langley, of Altrincham, near Manchester, groped them too but declined to formally complain to police.
The judge said: “You admit having a problem drinking to excess. You have lost your good name. It may well be difficult to gain employment in entertainment in future.”
Yesterday, prosecutor Karen Saffman described the actor’s attacks as “indicative of a pattern of behaviour” that night. She said Langley pounced on his first victim as she made her way toward the stairs after collecting her coat to leave.
Miss Saffman said: “Langley grabbed her in the crotch over her dress. She told the police ‘It was a rough grab and painful.’ She was in shock and angry. She said to him ‘Did you do that on purpose?’ He did not reply.”
The prosecutor said a friend with Langley was “really apologetic” to the victim and told her “Oh my God, I’m really sorry.”
Miss Saffman added: “She did not know what to do. She did not know who Mr Langley was and it was a member of staff who identified him.”
Outside court Langley said: “I sincerely apologise to the people affected by my disgraceful behaviour.”
ITV bosses cancelled his contract last month.