Sex assault teen politician jailed

BEHIND bars . . . Dylan McAughey Picture: Cavendish Press

A TEENAGE politician tipped as a rising star in the Labour Party is behind bars over a sex attack on a fellow youth activist which left her feeling "shattered in a billion pieces."

Dylan McAughey ­- a former member of the UK Youth Parliament ­- was just 17 and dressed in a onesie when he forced himself on the young woman during a night in watching movies and eating pizza.

McAughey, who was also an Oldham youth mayor elect, pounced on the victim as she tried to fight him off.

During the 15-minute assault, the girl, a college student, reminded McAughey he already had a girlfriend ­- but he laughed and replied: "I don't like her anymore."

Shattered

The girl escaped when her mobile phone started vibrating.

In a statement to police, the victim claimed the assault had pushed her into a "blame process which has shattered that alternative reality into a billion pieces, taking her heart and soul with it." She said she is so haunted by the incident, she dropped out of university, quit her part-time job, moved away from her home city and has been referred to an eating disorder clinic following bouts of self harm.

Referring to McAughey, the victim added: "I wake up screaming and sweating with flashbacks of that incident. This is no life ­- it isn't my life, because I'm no longer living. You broke me more than I ever thought it was possible to break someone.

"I had to give up everything because you made me give up on myself. I will never forgive you for what you have done to me and how you have stolen so much away from my life and for making me feel that I am worthless. I may never be OK again because of you."

At Manchester Crown Court, McAughey, now 19 and a father-of-one, denied sexual assault but was convicted after a trial and was locked away in youth custody for two years. He was also ordered to sign the sex offenders' register for 10 years and was banned from working with children.

The teenager ­- who was studying law at college in the hopes of becoming a barrister ­- wrote a letter to trial judge Richard Mansell QC complaining his career prospects had been "dashed by failings in the legal system which he loved and adored."

But the judge told him: "You took advantage of this girl in the most appalling way when she wanted nothing to do with you sexually.

"Yet instead of owning up to what you did and apologising, you have consistently tried to worm your way out of this situation. The effect upon her has been immense and all this because you couldn't or wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Your work outside curricular studies is impressive but it is also noteworthy that your work around self-image and bullying make it all the more unforgiveable that you took advantage of such a vulnerable girl.

"You have demonstrated no remorse for this offence. Not only did you accuse the victim of initiating and enjoying this sexual encounter ­- you continue to lie and in a letter to me, complain that your hopes of a career in law have been dashed by failings in the legal system.

"The legal system has no place for people with attitude like yours and so your loss of career prospects is due entirely to your own actions."

Earlier, the court heard how McAughey had gone into politics after being a youth ranger and in 2011 he was elected by 8,000 people to become a councillor for Oldham Youth Council and became its chairman.

In 2014, he clinched a seat in the UK Youth Parliament and spoke in a debate that was televised and formally recorded by Hansard about mental health services being made more available for young people. He later became youth mayor elect in Oldham and posed for numerous selfies with various Labour MPs including Dennis Skinner, Debbie Abrahams and Caroline Flint.

The incident occurred on December 29, 2014, after McAughey invited the girl round to his home via a message on Snapchat to give her a Christmas present.

"I met him when we were on an anti-bullying committee," she told police.

"We went to different schools but we met through that. He was just a mate, I wasn't attracted to him. I didn't have any feeling towards him. He was just a friend.

"We had only really met up twice so I thought it was a bit weird that he got me a Christmas present. When I arrived at his he was wearing trousers and a shirt but then he went and got changed. He appeared from behind the door and was wearing a onesie.

"He turned down the lights and pushed me down on to the bed and started kissing my neck. He pulled my tights down and I was crying and saying no but he carried on. I was trying to push him off but he was too strong. He grabbed my arms and wouldn't let me go. I just kept wriggling and saying that I needed to go.

"I had no idea he was going to try anything because he had a girlfriend but then he rested his head on my shoulder and that is when he started to kiss my neck.

"One hand was on my hip and the other behind my head. When I told him to stop because he had a girlfriend he laughed and said he didn't like her anymore anyway.

"Then he put his hand behind my back and pulled off my clothes. I went to reach for my phone but he grabbed my arm. I told him that I needed to go home but at that point he had a clump of my hair in his hands.

"Then he started biting my neck. The biting was aggressive and he was using his teeth. I was trying to wriggle away but he was still on me. I was crying and telling him that he was hurting me but he just didn't say anything and just carried on ­- it must have lasted between 10 to 15 minutes."

The victim described how he sexually assaulted her and added: "He had his legs over mine so they were pinned down. I got a text and he put his head up and I pushed him off and told them that I was going. I grabbed my clothes and put them back on. He was just lying on the bed watching me.

"I tried to get off the bed but he wrapped his arms around me and said 'you are not going anywhere, you need to stay'.

"In the end I managed to push him off and get off the bed. He walked me to my car because it was dark outside and his mother had told him to earlier on."

The court heard how McAughey sent the women a Snapchat message on December 30 saying: "I am sorry. I just want to apologise for scaring you. I didn't mean to overstep the mark. I really like you."

Another message, sent on New Year's Eve, added: "I am sorry. I don't know what else I can say to you. I didn't mean to upset you. I haven't slept because I have been trying to figure out what I have done.

A further message read: "Will you come to the police station with me? I shouldn't be allowed out after what I have done."

McAughey later admitted kissing the girl, now 20, but said all sexual contact was consensual and claimed the Snapchat messages were taken out of context. He claimed the woman "appeared to be blaming all her misfortunes at his door."