Magistrates clear town mayor of soliciting young prostitute

Mayor of Driffield Paul Rounding, 55, was arrested at 7.30pm on Wednesday, October 27 last year after two undercover police officers saw him with a female sex worker in his blue Vauxhall Insignia in St Luke’s Street.

The officers, PCs Kirsty Loose and Kay Mcloughlin, of Humberside Police’s sexual exploitation unit, told Hull Magistrates’ Court they had seen a “very young looking” prostitute talking to Mr Rounding through the passenger window for “10 to 15 seconds” before getting in.

She got out as they approached and was given a caution for prostitution while Mr Rounding was taken to an unmarked police car.

Mr Rounding, a production manager at Yorkshire Electricity, said he had driven from the company’s depot in Clough Road to buy his favourite seafood pizza from Trio’s takeaway in Anlaby Road, and drove around the area first because he was unable to find a parking place.

He denied the conversation at the window had taken place and was “taken aback” when the girl, whom he thought was “16 or 17”, got into the car.

He said she asked him three times if he wanted “business” and on each occasion he said no and told her to get out.

Mr Rounding, of The Horseshoe, Driffield, whose wife and daughter were in court, wept briefly when the prosecution suggested he had gone looking for a prostitute because of problems in his marriage, which he denied.

Chairman of the bench Brian Collins said: “We believe the accounts given by the police officers to be correct. However, taking into account all the circumstances based on the evidence of the case we can’t be sure beyond all reasonable doubt there was a positive act of soliciting on the part of the defendant. We therefore find you not guilty.”