A Wiltshire solicitor faces being struck off after he admitted drunkenly groping the bottoms of two women in his local pub.
Thomas Harland Cadman, 42, of Blackford Lane, Castle Eaton, admitted three charges of sexual assault when he appeared at Swindon Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, 9th February 2022.
He was back at the same court for sentencing on Monday, 14th March 2022.
Sexual assault is an offence under section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. It has a maximum penalty of 10 years' custody on conviction on indictment; 6 months' custody and/or an unlimited fine on summary conviction.
Magistrates heard that the offences took place at the Red Lion public house in Castle Eaton on Sunday, 29th August 2022.
Prosecutor Pauline Lambert, representing the Crown at the first hearing, told the court that Cadman used both hands to drunkenly squeeze the buttocks of his first victim as she passed him by in a doorway. A few moments later he repeated the act on the same woman.
He then approached a second woman who was stood outside the toilet. He asked if her husband had gone into the gents and then grabbed her buttocks. She reacted by pushing him away and telling him to stop. Cadman grabbed her cheeks and pulled her head towards his, as if to give her a kiss.
The second woman complained to the landlord, who challenged Cadman on his behaviour and told him to apologise and leave the premises.
Cadman walked over to the second woman, who by now was reunited with her husband, and offered to buy the couple a drink by way of recompense. The couple declined so Cadman walked away, stroking the woman's buttocks as he did so.
Keith Ballinger, prosecuting at the sentencing hearing, read victim impact statements by both women.
The first woman said: "If I were to see him in the village and no one is around, what would happen?
"It would scare me if I saw him and I would not know what to do. I don't like being on my own in my house anymore."
The second woman said: "I feel uncomfortable near men, especially on the train. I think someone's going to touch me.
"I'm worried about it happening again and being overpowered."
A pre-sentence report completed by the National Probation Service recommended Cadman be sentenced to a community order with rehabilitation activity requirement days and unpaid work requirement.
Christine Agnew QC, mitigating, told Magistrates that her client has "expressed and experienced genuine remorse" since the assaults and had given up drinking.
He was using alcohol as a way of coping with the pressures of work in his role as Deputy Director General for the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
She added that Cadman had drunk £150 worth of red wine on the day in question and blacked out, so "has no recollection of the incidents whatsoever".
Ms Agnew asked the bench to consider imposing a community order of less than 12 months so that her client, who had "previous impeccable character", did not need to register as a sex offender.
Having carefully considered matters, Magistrates were of the view that the offences were serious enough to merit a community order. However, they stepped back from the recommendations made in the pre-sentence report.
Cadman was handed a 9 month community order, with 20 days' rehabilitation activity requirement and a £900 fine.
He was also ordered to pay £85 towards prosecution costs and £95 surcharge.
The length of the order means Cadman's name will not be added to the sex offenders register.
He might have managed to avoid that fate, but in a village of only 200 people he'll undoubtedly be referred to as "the dirty old man who lives down the lane".
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