Reform UK Councillor Charged With 35 Offences Including 12 Counts Of Rape
A Hampshire county council representative has been charged with multiple serious offences, including 12 counts of rape, and suspended from his party.
The Crown Prosecution Service has announced that a local politician, among other reform councillors, has been charged with thirty-five total offences following a police inquiry. George Madgwick, who leads his party on Hampshire county council, faces twelve counts of rape alongside additional serious criminal allegations. Court proceedings are scheduled to begin shortly.
According to the prosecution authority, the thirty-seven-year-old official also faces two counts of sexual assault, two counts of assault by penetration, two counts of making indecent images of a child, and one count of distributing them. Additional charges include false imprisonment, stalking, and making a threat to kill. The decision to prosecute followed an evidence review determining that taking the matter forward serves the public interest.
George Madgwick faces thirty-five offences including twelve counts of rape and has been suspended.
The defendant is due to appear at Portsmouth magistrates court on November 25. A spokesperson for his political affiliation confirmed that he has been suspended from the party with immediate effect following the announcement of the charges. Prosecutors emphasized that legal proceedings are now active and reminded the public of the defendant's right to a fair trial.
Law enforcement authorities stated that their inquiry commenced on July 24 of the previous year following an initial report of a sexual offence. Detectives subsequently arrested a man in south-west London at the beginning of January. Investigators noted that the allegations involve four victims who were aged sixteen and seventeen at the time, with the incidents reportedly occurring between 2008 and 2021 across Portsmouth and Wales.
Why it matters
This development involves serious criminal charges against an elected local government official, leading to his immediate suspension from political office. The legal process will determine the outcome of these serious allegations involving multiple victims and locations over a span of several years.