A FORMER Labour councillor has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman at his wife’s work leaving party.
Daniel Lee-Phakoe, 38, attempted to lure his victim into a bathroom and touched her inappropriately her multiple times inside a London pub.
The assault unfolded at a leaving party for wife Carleene Lee-Phakoe[/caption]
Daniel Lee-Phakoe, 38, has been found guilty of sexual assault[/caption]
London Crown Court heard the ex-Newham Labour councillor targeted the woman at an event on May 5, 2023.
The party, held at a venue near Liverpool Street station, was organised to mark his wife, Carleene Lee-Phakoe, changing roles within the council.
Lee-Phakoe “carried out a series of persistent and unwelcome verbal sexual approaches,” said City of London Police.
This included asking his victim to go into a bathroom to have a “sexual encounter”.
He also stood beside her and “pinched her bottom” at least ten times in a “firm and unrelenting” manner.
The victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said: “The assault itself has left me feeling dirty, disrespected and a worthless woman who had suddenly become the focus of unwanted and disgusting sexual touching, demands for sex in a public toilet and being physically trapped in spite of attempts to move.
“His approach was both violating, aggressive and manipulative in assaulting me in a public place with his wife in the same bar and only a short distance away.
“This has been a horrendous experience. This sexual assault was unforgivable and I made the complaint to stop this happening to other women and to stand up to a sexual predator who has no idea or care of the impact of what he did to me.”
At one point during the evening, Lee-Phakoe walked away and the victim asked a friend to stand beside her instead.
But the former councillor tried to move the woman out of his way and once again asked if his victim wanted to go to the bathroom with him.
The victim’s friend said she’d never seen her “so frightened”, and even asked to be escorted home due to feeling “unsafe”.
The victim’s friend said: “He arrived at the table again and continued to push against me and comments towards the victim for 10 minutes or so.
“I said to him ‘can you please stop and calm down.’
“He stopped pushing but continued to ask her to go toilets with him. After what seemed like an exceptionally long time, he finally left the table.”
Lee-Phakoe will be sentenced at a later date.