Paedophile Leeds councillor did try to rape young girl at his home, jury finds - but he will not face jail

Ron Grahame groomed the girl and sexually assaulted her before inviting her to stay at his house in Leeds in the early 1980s where he got into bed with her and tried to have sex with her.

Following the week-long trial at Leeds Crown Court, the jury was sent out just before lunch today to deliberate, and returned their verdict shortly before 2.30pm. They unanimously agreed that 80-year-old Grahame was responsible for two indecent assaults on the youngster, attempted rape and attempted buggery. He had previously pleaded not-guilty to all charges.

However, due to Grahame now suffering from vascular dementia, he was deemed unfit to stand trial, so a trial of facts was held in his absence. As a result, the jury could not find him guilty like in a standard trial, but only that he was responsible. Also, the only available option to the judge was to hand Grahame an absolute discharge.

The judge, Recorder Bryan Cox KC, told the jury: “The only course of conduct the court permits is an absolute discharge.” He said that despite this, it did “not diminish” what Grahame had done.

Grahame, formerly known as Ron Blower, had worked for Leeds City Council as the representative of Burmantofts and Richmond Hill. He had lived in Leeds with his wife and two sons at the time of the offences. He had invited the young girl to his house to practice her gymnastics, because he was “sporty” and encouraged her, the victim told police. But she said he would tell her to get changed in front of him and would “stare at her” making her feel uncomfortable. While she practiced moves such as handstands and “the crab”, Grahame would assist in holding her in position.

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However, the victim - who cannot be named for legal reasons - said that he would then begin touching her vagina over her leotard. In a video statement given to police and played to the court, she said he touched her on about 10 occasions during frequent visits to his home.

On one occasion though, he touched her underneath her leotard. Then finally, when the girl stayed over at the house, he climbed into bed with her while his wife was downstairs.

She “froze” and was “curled up like a ball” as he tried to rape her. It was only when he was disturbed by his wife from downstairs that he got out of the bed and left the room. The next morning the girl went downstairs and she said Grahame “had the cheek to ask me what I wanted for my breakfast”.

She stopped talking for two months and when her mother finally asked her, she confessed about what Grahame had done, but nothing came of it. It was not until the woman told her partner and friends about the abuse that she finally went to the police in 2020. She said she previously tried searching for Grahame on the internet, but was unable to find him due to his name change.

Grahame, now of Swardale Green, Swarcliffe, was the councillor for Burmantofts and Richmond Hill until May 2022. He was first elected onto the council to represent Whinmoor in 1982. 

Due to the proceedings being a trial of facts, Grahame did not take part and was not even required to attend.