Yapton councillor quits after sex shame

Journalists were tipped off by a villager that councillor Peter Hill Jones, of Burndell Road, Yapton, was convicted of indecently assaulting a 15-year-old girl, in 1997.

Mr Hill Jones, who served a three-year prison sentence for the assault, had been a member of the parish council for eight years, having been re-elected earlier this month.

He was also on the council’s playing fields committee.

Mr Hill Jones has since resigned as councillor, saying: “I’ve left the council in a hideous position and I felt this was necessary.”

Because Mr Hill Jones fell outside the legal time period of five years for announcing his previous convictions, Arun District Council was unaware of the offence he had committed.

Ian Sumnall, Arun’s returning officer, who oversees parish council elections, said: “We were never made aware of any previous convictions.

“Mr Hill Jones signed a declaration form which stated he was not disqualified from standing for any reason.

“We received no challenge to this document during the period it was open to public scrutiny.”

Mr Sumnall explained the Electoral Commission rules state a person is disqualified from becoming a councillor if he was convicted less than five years before his election, or afterwards, to a prison sentence of at least three months without the option of a fine.

There is no distinction between the offences to which a conviction relates.

However, when speaking to the Gazette, chairman for the parish council, Stephen Haymes, admitted that he knew of Jones’ previous conviction for more than two years.

Mr Haymes said: “I was told roughly two years ago but felt that because the conviction was spent, it was not an issue.

“There was no reason for the parish council to believe Peter would re-offend.

“In his duties on the playing fields committee, he was never left alone and always worked in a group.”

A Yapton Parish Council statement confirmed a resident made them aware of the allegation,.

Then, David Tansley, clerk of the council, contacted the police and forwarded them a copy of the email concerned for them to investigate.