EX-SWINDON MELA FESTIVAL DIRECTOR DENIES SEXUALLY ASSAULTING WOMAN
03-03-2026 A former Swindon festival director who was due to stand trial for sexual assault has had all charges against him dropped.Jaspal Bhui, of Lomond Close, was the former director of The Swindon MELA, an annual festival which used to take place in the town before being cancelled in 2013 due to low funds.
Bhui, who is also manager of the Calcutt Service Station on the A419, was charged with sexually assaulting a woman at the garage on May 28, 2025.
The 64-year-old denied the charge, and was due to stand trial at Swindon Magistrates' Court on Monday, March 2, 2026.
However, the trial did not go ahead as the case has now been "dismissed" and the charge against Mr Bhui has been dropped.
Up until Monday, the former festival director had been on bail with strict conditions not to go near or contact the woman he was accused of sexually assaulting.
These conditions now cease to exist due to the case having been dismissed.
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————— A man formerly responsible for overseeing a festival in Swindon has denied sexual assault.
Jaspal Bhui, 63, was director of The Swindon MELA, an annual Asian festival that was cancelled in 2013 due to low funds, and dissolved as a company in 2021, according to Companies House.
He has now been charged with sexually assaulting a woman at a garage that he is the manager of, and appeared at Swindon Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, November 4.
The offence is alleged to have taken place on May 28 this year, but during his attendance at the hearing, Bhui issued a not-guilty plea.
The case will now proceed to trial, with a date booked in of June 30, 2026, but it will remain a matter for Swindon Magistrates rather than being referred to Crown.
The defendant, of Lomond Close, Sparcells, has been excluded from contacting a specific woman as part of his bail conditions to prevent interference with witnesses or otherwise obstruct the course of justice.
A direction was made under section 36 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 that the accused shall not cross-examine the witness in person.
A special measures direction was also set, stating that a witness be prevented from seeing Mr Bhui at the trial by means of a screen.
The alleged victim has lifelong anonymity protected by virtue of Section 1 of the Sexual Offences Amendment Act 1992.
