Mark Burton, a Darlington Councillor was jailed for Sexually Assaulting a Girl, and having pictures of child abuse. He was accused of taking advantage of a school girl following a drunken party.

Married father-of-three Mark Burton, 43 at the time of his trial, of Middleham Road, Darlington, at the time, was Chairman of a Committee Responsible for Children’s Welfare.

The married father-of-three was chairman of a committee responsible for children's welfare. As a councillor, Burton was chairman of Darlington Council's children and young persons' scrutiny committee - a role the court heard he took to promote his political career.

Joanne Kidd, prosecuting, said the assault on the girl took place following a party to celebrate his re-election to Darlington's Harrowgate Hill ward in May 2011.

The girl later complained to police and officers found 16 images of child abuse on a laptop. They also discovered he had searched the internet thousands of times for phrases linked to paedophilia. Specialist officers also found file-wiping software which digitally shredded documents he had held on his computer.

The court was told Burton at first denied the attack and downloading the images, telling police his sons and their friends also had access to his laptop, but at a court hearing earlier this month he pleaded guilty to sexual assault and making indecent images of children.

Judge Howard Crowson jailed him for 22 months, made him subject to an indefinite sexual offences prevention order and placed him on the sex offenders register for 10 years. He said: "As a local councillor, you would have held the respect of your community. You have lost that respect."

Burton was disqualified as a councillor.