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22/11/2018
DUP Councillor Found Guilty Of Sexual Assault
A DUP councillor has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a nursing colleague.
Belfast Magistrates Court upheld claims that Ian Stevenson deliberately squeezed a woman's breast at a care home in County Antrim in April 2017.
The 49-year-old nurse and former mayor of Ballymoney will be sentenced next month.
The court heard that he allegedly asked for a hug before the assault, and joked that he would "grope anything" when the victim told him "no".
"He actually squeezed when he did it," she said in evidence, and described how he laughed it off afterwards.
District Judge Amanda Henderson said: "I found the injured party to be credible in her testimony."
The Judge added that the woman's Facebook message following the assault, in which she expressed her disgust at the incident, was consistent with her complaint and supported her assertion of sexual touching.
Mr Stevenson is a representative on Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council and has reportedly been suspended by the DUP, pending the outcome of the case.
(JG/CM)
Belfast Magistrates Court upheld claims that Ian Stevenson deliberately squeezed a woman's breast at a care home in County Antrim in April 2017.
The 49-year-old nurse and former mayor of Ballymoney will be sentenced next month.
The court heard that he allegedly asked for a hug before the assault, and joked that he would "grope anything" when the victim told him "no".
"He actually squeezed when he did it," she said in evidence, and described how he laughed it off afterwards.
District Judge Amanda Henderson said: "I found the injured party to be credible in her testimony."
The Judge added that the woman's Facebook message following the assault, in which she expressed her disgust at the incident, was consistent with her complaint and supported her assertion of sexual touching.
Mr Stevenson is a representative on Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council and has reportedly been suspended by the DUP, pending the outcome of the case.
(JG/CM)
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