MARK MCCORMICK, FORMER BURSLEDON PARISH COUNCIL CHAIRMAN, SENTENCED IN HAMPSHIRE
Mark McCormick, the former chairman of Bursledon Parish Council, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison after admitting to multiple sexual offences.The 49-year-old pleaded guilty to 14 counts of indecent assault spanning from 1997 to 2011 at Southampton Crown Court, which included the rape of a 16-year-old girl and inciting boys under 16 to engage in sexual activity.
The charges were brought against him on the second day of his trial.
Judge Nicholas Rowland described McCormick's actions, stating, "Many of your victims were vulnerable, they came from a destructive home and you knew that and took advantage of them.
You controlled them and manipulated your victims." The judge added, "They were excited about being associated to someone who was living a glamorous lifestyle." McCormick was a prominent figure within the Bursledon community but stepped down from his public role in 2017.
He was re-elected as chairman of the parish council in May 2016, but last year, the council posted a vacancy after his resignation.
In 2016, McCormick was involved in a contentious dispute between the parish council and the Bursledon and District Community Association (BDCA), after the council supervisors were effectively expelled from their offices by the BDCA, which managed the premises.
Aside from his public duties, McCormick also worked as a freelance DJ.
He was convicted of one count of rape, three counts of indecent activity with a child, three counts of indecent assault on a child, five counts of indecent assault on a male, one count of sexual assault, and one count of taking indecent photographs of a child.
