Former Coronation Street actor Bruno Langley avoids jail over sexual assaults

Former Coronation Street actor Bruno Langley has avoided jail after he admitted sexually assaulting two women at a Manchester music venue.

The actor, who was fired from his role playing Todd Grimshaw in the ITV soap, must complete a 12-month community order and sign the sex offenders register for five years.

He also has to pay each victim £250.

A court heard how the 34-year-old grabbed a woman by the crotch and touched another victim on her "boobs and bum" at the Band in Wall venue on 1 October this year.

Karen Saffman, prosecuting, told Manchester Magistrates’ Court that Grimshaw had touched two other women on the same night but was not charged over those alleged offences.

His family members wiped back tears when he entered his guilty pleas.

Ms Saffman said the actor was "clearly intoxicated" when he assaulted the first woman, who was returning from the venue’s cloakroom.

She said: "As she walked back towards the stairs Mr Langley grabbed her in the crotch area over her dress."

The victim said in a statement: "He grabbed me. Properly grabbed me. It was a rough grab, really right in. Lots of pressure."

Ms Saffman said the woman could "feel two or three fingers" through her dress and tights.

The prosecutor added: "She was clearly in shock. She was thinking about hitting him. She said, ‘Did you do that on purpose?’ But he did not reply."

The court heard how a male with Langley then apologised.

The victim was later approached by another woman in the toilets who had also been sexually assaulted by Langley.

The second woman told the first victim Langley had touched her "boobs and bum".

She also told police: "He grabbed me in the crotch. Quite a lot of pressure. This lasted for a couple of seconds."

The court heard how the actor was seen approaching another woman and "grabbed her boobs and bum" before he "grabbed the vagina" of a fourth woman.

He had not been charged for these incidents but Ms Saffman said they were "indicative of his behaviour" that night.

:: Coronation Street star Bruno Langley leaves show after inquiry

Passing sentence, District Judge Mark Hadfield told him: "On that evening your conduct was quite disgraceful and degrading.

"Both of the victims would have been extremely shocked and upset as a result of your conduct.

"The fact that you were heavily intoxicated is not mitigation, it is a further aggravating feature.

"The consequences are serious for all concerned, the two victims but also for you.

"You have lost your good name and I know nothing of showbusiness but I imagine in the current climate I suspect it may be very difficult for you to gain employment in that industry in the future."

After the court case Langley released a statement, which said: "I sincerely apologise to the people involved and affected by my disgraceful behaviour on the evening of 30 September.

"I have absolutely no memory of what happened because of excessive alcohol consumption and it was for this reason that I behaved completely out of character.

"However, I take full responsibility for my actions that night.

"Since this incident I have been dealing with, and confronting some personal issues that I have never addressed, and I am also getting help for an alcohol problem, so that this does not ever happen again."

(c) Sky News 2017: Former Coronation Street actor Bruno Langley avoids jail over sexual assaults