Ex-Walsall Council leader given community order for child sex offences

Sean Coughlan is the former leader of Walsall Council

A former council leader has been handed an 18-month community order for sexual offences against children.

Sean Coughlan, 65, from Willenhall, Walsall, admitted attempting to cause a female aged 13 or over to engage in a penetrative sexual activity.

The ex Walsall councillor also pleaded guilty to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

He was charged after an operation by a paedophile hunter group saw a video of him being confronted shared online.

The offences happened between August and December 2021.

At the sentencing hearing on Thursday, Judge Michael Chambers said the former councillor had suffered a "great fall from grace".

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Coughlan had set up a secret Facebook page, posting intimate pictures and encouraging what he thought was a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity.

"In reality, there was no child. This was a vigilante purporting to perform a public duty," the judge said.

'Element of grooming'

Sean Coughlan committed the offences between August and December 2021

A 30-minute video was posted online by the paedophile hunter group, which resulted in him being arrested and charged by West Midlands Police, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

"There was an element of grooming and clearly a disparity in age. There was an intention of penetrative sexual activity, but there was no harm as there was no child," Judge Chambers said.

In mitigation the court heard he had no previous criminal convictions, and had served his community well.

"But what you wrote in your letter to the court is right," continued the judge.

"That regardless of the hundreds you have helped, your behaviour of late is what you'll be remembered for. You have suffered a great fall from grace."

He had been remanded in custody since his arrest in December.

Coughlan resigned as a Walsall councillor days after the paedophile sting film had been posted, and had initially denied the charges, but changed his plea last month.

At Thursday's sentencing hearing he was also made subject to a five-year sexual harm prevention order.

Coughlan was elected as a councillor for Walsall borough in 1995, representing the ward of Willenhall South.

During his career, he became deputy leader and then leader of both the Labour group and the authority, of which he was in charge between 2016 and 2018.

During court proceedings he was suspended from the Labour Party and the Walsall Council Labour group.