Vicar guilty of drunken sexual assault on woman

COURT GIVES COMMUNITY ORDER AFTER 'OVERWHELMING' REMORSE

- By NEIL SHAW

Former police officer Robert “Bob” Weldon, 68, of Manor Road, was employed at Folkestone’s Holy Trinity church at the time of the offence.

During a hearing at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday last week (September 3), prosecutor Neil Sweeney told the court that the assault took place at a gathering last year at which alcohol had been consumed, when the victim tried to walk past Weldon.

He said: “The defendant went for a hug and gripped both her arms tightly, and tried to stick his tongue down her throat. She tried to get away, then eventually squirmed away from his grasp.”

Mr Sweeney said the woman had felt it necessary to report the incident due to the “place the defendant held within the church”.

The court also heard that the woman had suffered abuse in the past, making her vulnerable - something the defendant was aware of.

The offence took place in what the defence described as a “moment of madness”. Weldon’s lawyer, Nigel Riley, said both he and the victim had consumed a “substantial” amount of wine.