2002; BUS DRIVER JAILED FOR ASSAULT ON DISABLED PASSENGER
2002: A bus driver convicted of indecently assaulting a wheelchair-using woman returning from a Christmas celebration has received a nine-month prison sentence.Keith Allcock, aged 45 and residing on Campbell Street in Farnworth, was condemned at Bolton Crown Court for attacking a 34-year-old disabled passenger inside his Ring and Ride bus.
During sentencing, Judge Clement Goldstone QC described the crime as a severe breach of trust.
He remarked, "It is very unfortunate for you and your family, as well as for the courts, that someone of 45 years finds himself in this predicament." He further stated that due to the gravity of the offence, only a custodial sentence was appropriate.
Allcock, who has been employed as a driver for the Ring and Ride service—dedicated to transporting vulnerable and disabled individuals—was found guilty over two weeks ago by a jury at Bolton Crown Court sitting in Bury Magistrates.
The sentencing was postponed until yesterday to await a pre-sentence report.
Judge Goldstone noted that Allcock had intentionally arranged his schedule so that he would take the victim home last, reversing the usual procedure of dropping her off first.
He explained, "When you dropped her at her residence, you told her to forget the incident.
Sadly, she chose to report the matter shortly after, displaying courage." Throughout the trial, Allcock maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty, with defence lawyer Jeffrey Samuels appealing for leniency, citing his client’s decade-long service as a bus driver and the loss of his career and reputation following the conviction.
The judge ordered that half of the nine-month prison term be served before suspension, acknowledging that the act was an "isolated blemish" in what was otherwise a commendable life for Allcock.
