Former council leader Greenslade guilty

16 months' prison for sex offences

A former leader of Devon County Council has been jailed for assaulting three women.

Brian Greenslade, 72, of Marwood near Barnstaple, had pleaded not guilty of two counts of indecent assault and one of sexual assault in the 19902 and 2000s.

He claimed the incidents may have been accidental or arisen because of misunderstandings.

Two of the assaults were said to have happened when he was on council business and the other whilst he was working as an accountant.

The women said they didn't report the incidents at the time because Mr Greenslade was in a position of power.

But a jury at Exeter Crown Court found him guilty on Monday morning. In the afternoon, Judge Timothy Rose sent him to prison for 16 months.

Following the guilty verdict, a spokesman for Devon County Council said: “Our thoughts are with the survivors who suffered at the hands of Brian Greenslade. 
 
“We are pleased that our actions in 2017 in response to complaints from members of Council staff have helped to shine a light on the issue of sexual harassment and inappropriate conduct in the workplace and particularly when involving those in positions of authority.
 
“This council has very firm and clear expectations with regards to the conduct of all its staff and elected members including how councillors interact with the Council’s employees.  We will always take allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour and harassment very seriously and act swiftly.
 
“When allegations of this nature came to light in 2017, we acted quickly to thoroughly investigate them as part of our procedures, and the strongest possible sanctions on the former councillor were imposed. Most importantly all those staff impacted have been supported and continue to be so.”