Dr George Lord, a former county councillor for Alvechurch and district councillor for Marlbrook, appeared in court charged with three indecent assaults on a girl aged 14 and 15 in the 1970s, when he was a Droitwich church minister. The former Marlbrook resident had already been found guilty after a trial in January 2012 of a sex attack on 19-year-old woman at County Hall in Worcester, in October 2010.

Judge Godsmark, describing the 1970s assaults, spoke directly to the grim-faced 79-year-old, when he said Lord had groomed the youngster for his own sexual self-gratification. He said: "As a minister, you should have been her protector, not her abuser.

Bernard Linnemann, prosecuting, said Lord, at the time of the incident, was a married man in his 40s who built up trust with a naïve young woman who, aged just 11, was having troubles at home and enjoyed the attention. Mr Linnemann said: "His actions demonstrated a progressive course of behaviour which the prosecution say was by way of grooming her." adding "By the time she was 14 he was telling her she was gorgeous and sensual."

On one occasion Lord took her to a wildlife sanctuary for privacy. Another incident occurred while he was driving on the A38, during which he almost crashed the car. Mr Linnemann said "She described herself as not, to use her words, particularly willing."

During the course of around 30 indecent assaults on the girl, covered by the three charges, Lord told her it was "An Experiment".

The girl confided in two school friends but did not tell her parents because she was afraid how they might react, Mr Linnemann said. He added: "He had told her they had a special secret relationship which could not be discussed with other people."

By the time she was 17 the girl had entered a relationship with a man she had confided in when he was just 14 and that Lord even performed the marriage ceremony. But the marriage collapsed after just two years because of the trauma she suffered at Lord's hands and her husband blamed himself for not doing more at the time, even though he was just 14 at the time.

Although Lord pleaded guilty to the 1970s offences he told police initially the girl had a crush on him and pursued him, the allegations dismissed as "Fantasies".

Court Case part Two

Lord was also charged with Sexually Assaulting a 19-year-old woman as she bent over a plaque in County Hall, Worcester. The woman immediately complained to a supervisor.

Mr Linnemann said: "He [Lord] accused her of lying, for what it's worth, when confronted with the allegations."

The judge said: "It is difficult to imagine more serious examples of sexual assault. They were perpetrated over years by you and in abuse of your position."

The disgraced former leader of Worcestershire County Council was jailed for four years for indecent assaults on an underage girl, and for the sex attack on the Vulnerable Young Woman, and was told he would serve at least half of his sentence before he was eligible for release on licence.

The 26 days Lord had already served in custody was deducted from his prison sentence.