City councillor, Leslie Sheppard, was caught by police as he used his car to lure schoolgirls for sex assaults. In court Sheppard stood accused of nine counts of indecent assault, and one attempt on three girls aged between 9 to 13.

Teeside Crown Court heard that Sheppard would lure his victims into his gold Porsche before driving them to remote spots, where he would submit them to sickening sex attacks.

The Labour councillor, who represented Coxhoe Ward, was convicted in early December of ten counts of indecent assault on three girls, after a four-day trial. However, he angered fellow councillors by continuing to attend meetings while awaiting sentence, despite calls by the ruling Liberal Democrat group for him to resign. Under local government rules, a councillor is automatically disqualified only when he is sentenced to at least three months imprisonment, even if the sentence is suspended.

The court heard that Sheppard, of The Grove, Coxhoe, had lured one girl, then aged 13, into a car with a promise of a driving lesson, then indecently assaulted her.

Another 13-year-old punched Sheppard in the face when he pulled the car into a lay-by and attempted to assault her.

The youngest of his victims was nine at the time of the attack. The girl told the court how he had driven her to a disused factory on a Sunday afternoon, where he assaulted her.

The assaults, which happened between 1963 and 1983, came to light when one of the victims wrote to Sheppard's third wife, Olga, in 1998, to inform her of the attacks.

Robin Turton, prosecuting, said that Sheppard told police: "I love women, but you do things which you regret."

Jamie Hill, defending, said that Sheppard still maintained his innocence and his family were standing by him.

Judge Michael Cartlidge told Sheppard "I acknowledge this is a tragedy for all involved. You have a high standing in the community, but there is a dark side which convicted you of abusing three young girls."

Then leader of Durham City Council, Councillor Fraser Reynolds, said "Leslie Sheppard will be automatically disqualified as a member of the council because he has received a custodial sentence."

He was found guilty on all counts.

Sheppard, 71 at the time of his trial, was jailed for two years - a sentence that automatically disqualified him from serving on Durham City Council, where he was a member of the authority's Influential Policy and Community Services Scrutiny Panels.

He was also ordered to be placed on the Sex Offenders Register for 10 years.