Wes Streeting's ex-aide given suspended sentence after exposing himself to girl

A former aide to Health Secretary Wes Streeting has been spared jail after exposing himself to a teenage girl and following her.

Samuel Gould was sentenced at Barkingside Magistrates' Court to 22 weeks' imprisonment suspended for two years after admitting two counts of exposure. The 33-year-old, of Hornchurch, Essex, who was also a councillor in Redbridge, was seen by the 13-year-old girl masturbating in his parked car in Romford on 8 March.

Politics latest: PM warns of Tory-Reform pact 'disaster' Gould then followed the girl, who hid and knocked on nearby flats to try and get help, prosecutors said. He was also seen by a woman masturbating while he was seated in a Mini Cooper with the windows down on Patricia Drive in Hornchurch on 9 February, the court heard.

Mr Streeting previously spoke of his "horror" at Gould's offences. "As soon as I was made aware of his arrest he was suspended, and as soon as the guilty plea was entered I took immediate steps to sack him through official HR processes," Mr Streeting said in March.

Gould admitted the two charges against him last month. As well as the suspended sentence, the former Labour Party member was given a seven-year sexual harm prevention order by District Judge Paul Donegan, which stops him from contacting girls under the age of 18.

Gould was also ordered to pay legal costs of £239. Prosecutor Jeannel Ambrose claimed Gould specifically targeted a "particularly vulnerable victim" when following the 13-year-old girl.

The second victim felt "distressed and violated" after she saw Gould masturbating while she was walking her dog, the court heard. She took his vehicle registration before reporting him to police, Ms Ambrose said.

Read more from politics:PM wants to avoid pay strikesYour ultimate guide to the local elections Nicholas Jennaway, defending, claimed Gould had been going through difficulties at work and his personal life at the time of the incidents. He said the 33-year-old followed the girl in a "very panicked state" to try to talk to her, having not seen her approaching.

????Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne's on your podcast app???? Mr Jennaway added that Gould, a "shy, introverted person" was a man of previous good character and "apologises profusely" for the harm his actions caused. The former councillor accepted that his role in public service means he is held to a "higher standard"..