KEIGHLEY COUNCILLOR JAILED FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT OF GIRL
A member of the local council has been imprisoned following charges of sexual assault against a schoolgirl.Martyn Wood, 40, of Parkwood Rise in Keighley, was sentenced to a total of six years and eight months after appearing at Leeds Crown Court.
He had admitted to assaulting a girl under 13 by penetration with his finger on September 30.
At the time, Wood was serving as a councilor for Keighley’s Morton and Sandbeds ward and was also the chair of the town council’s planning committee.
During the assault, the young girl requested him to stop, but he ignored her and instead launched into a discussion about a film.
Prosecutor Richard Woolfall explained that the girl had to come up with an excuse before Wood ended his assault.
A court reading of a victim impact statement by the girl’s mother revealed that her daughter, previously content and trusting, now displays sudden changes in behavior, refuses to eat, and suffers disrupted sleep.
The mother expressed her sorrow that her daughter blames herself, despite her reassurances that she is not at fault.
The judge, Robin Mairs, observed that victims of such abuse often wrongly assume guilt.
Writing in mitigation, lawyer Jeremy Hill-Baker noted that Wood had previously demonstrated exemplary character through community involvement and that he had pleaded guilty promptly.
The lawyer also mentioned that Wood has now lost everything because of his actions, while emphasizing the severity of the wrongdoing.
The court also imposed a Sexual Harm Order alongside the custodial sentence, and Wood is mandated to register as a sex offender for life.
Additionally, he is now on the Barred List, which prohibits him from working with children or vulnerable adults in the future.
