Gateshead councillor Paul Foy cleared of assaulting woman in hotel lift

Paul Foy had denied one count of sexual assault

A councillor has been found not guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a hotel lift.

Paul Foy was accused of "groping and fondling" the woman at a conference in Manchester in 2016.

Mr Foy, who sits on Gateshead Council and was chairman of Gateshead Housing Company, had denied sexual assault and called the accusation "malicious".

Jurors at Newcastle Crown Court cleared Mr Foy, of the Avenue in Birtley, after a week-long trial.