A former Highbridge councillor who admitted taking indecent images of two boys and sexually assaulting one of them has been given a community order.

Joe Leach, 27, committed most of the offences while the boys, aged 16 and 17 at the time, were asleep in his flat.

His crimes came to light when another boy looked at his computer.

A judge at Taunton Crown Court said during a hearing on Wednesday morning (August 6th) that there was a level of grooming behaviour but no purpose would be served by an immediate custodial sentence.

Leach’s sentence includes being supervised for three years, allowing police access to his camera for five years and signing the sex offenders register.

The court was told the offences happened between April 2011 and August 2012.

The former Lib Dem town and district councillor resigned in December 2012, saying that a career change was the reason.

 
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