By Safina Khan | VOA News UK
A Reform UK councillor in Hampshire has been charged with 35 offences, including 12 counts of rape, following a police investigation into alleged sexual offences involving four victims.
George Madgwick, 37, who leads Reform UK’s group on Hampshire County Council, also faces charges of sexual assault, assault by penetration, making and distributing indecent images of a child, making threats to kill, false imprisonment and stalking.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the alleged offences relate to four victims who were aged 16 and 17 at the time. The allegations are said to concern incidents between 2008 and 2021 in Portsmouth and Wales.
Madgwick is due to appear before Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on 25 November.
Reform UK has confirmed that Madgwick has been suspended from the party with immediate effect.
Hampshire Police said their investigation began on 24 July last year, after officers received a report of a sexual offence. A man was subsequently arrested in Wandsworth, south-west London, on 6 January.
The CPS said prosecutors had determined there was sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and that prosecution was in the public interest.
It also stressed that the case is now active and warned against reporting or commentary that could prejudice the proceedings.
Madgwick has the right to a fair trial. The charges are allegations, and their validity will be determined through the judicial process.
Safina Khan | VOA News UK
