THE disgraced ex-leader of the county council was warned his unwanted attention was making female staff feel “uncomfortable” before he groped a 19-year-old woman.

Council chief executive Trish Haines was already aware of two complaints against Lord when she warned him about his “unwise”, “unwanted” and “inappropriate” behaviour.

She spoke at a press conference at County Hall in Worcester yesterday following the publication of a summary of an independent review into how the council handled the young woman’s complaint.

The summary, published yesterday, ruled the council handled the complaint “appropriately” but communication with the victim was poor.

Mrs Haines was asked whether the later attack was “preventable” and whether she should have ‘come down harder’ on Lord.

Mrs Haines was aware of two other complaints against Lord when she first spoke to him about his behaviour.

She said: “I had taken the opportunity to speak to Dr Lord to say this is inadvisable and inappropriate behaviour and said, ‘You’re making staff feel uncomfortable – it’s inadvisable for you and you’re leaving yourself open to allegations of unwanted attention’.

"He said, ‘Thank you, I know that’. I can’t remember the exact words.”

She added: “I don’t know I could have done anything other than advise him against doing it again.

"There was no rule breach, never mind any law. I felt it was unwise behaviour and I advised him of that.”

The ex-leader of Worcestershire County Council was jailed for four years this month for groping the 19-year-old in October 2010 and for three indecent assaults on a girl aged 14 and 15 when he was a church minister in the late 1970s.

Trish Haines said Lord was “stunned and upset” and had denied the allegation during a tense meeting at Lord’s home on November 6, 2010, the day he resigned, also attended by Adrian Hardman, now leader.

Bosses at Worcestershire County Council launched an independent review following reports in the Worcester News that the father of the 2010 victim believed the council has “failed” his daughter in their handling of her complaint.

She said she was told Lord was just “touchy feely”, a comment the victim’s HR manger denies having made.

Lord groped the victim’s bottom on October 27, 2010, as she bent over a plaque in County Hall in Worcester and she reported it to police herself on November 10, 2010.

The press conference was attended by Colin Williams, director of local government services who conducted the inquiry; Trish Haines, the council’s chief executive and Adrian Hardman, the council leader.

However, only a five-page executive summary of the report was available rather than the full 40-page report which has been supplied to the victim and some council group leaders.

The inquiry also ruled that the council provided significant and ongoing support to the employee through counselling and personal support.

The review acknowledged that the council “could have improved its overall response through a more effective approach to communicating with the employee concerned throughout the immediate and short term aftermath of the assault”.

Mrs Haines said on a personal level she felt very responsible that the attack has happened ‘on her watch’.

She also said criticism about the council’s handling of the assault by the victim’s father had come “out of the blue” and that the council had received no formal complaint about how they had handled it other than comments made to the media.

Mrs Haines said the report recognised the “substantial” support which had been give to the victim by the council which included 19 counselling sessions and was also the support given to the victim by her line manager and her supervisor.

She said: “I acknowledge the fact that we didn’t keep her as informed as we could have done has caused her upset and distress. I’m very sorry about that.”

Yesterday the victim and her family declined to comment until they had read the report in full.

There will also be an opportunity for the council’s overview and scrutiny board to investigate the matter further.

A further detailed brief will be given to the council’s political group leaders to look at the background detail and agree terms of reference for any scrutiny that may take place with a report delivered to full council in May.

Mrs Haines said details of four other previous incidents involving Lord were withheld at their request because of their need for confidentiality and she said they “just wanted to get on with their lives”.

Coun Adrian Hardman was asked about his comments that the case involving the 19-year-old would never have seen the light of day 30 years ago.

He said: “I apologise with all sincerity if these comments that were printed in the paper have given rise to anxiety or given offence to anyone. They were unwise in the context in which I said them.”

The report's recommendations

• A link person should be identified in future cases where allegations of harassment enter formal stages so the affected employee can be kept informed about what is happening about their complaint.

• Affected employees should be accompanied by someone appropriate when they attend interviews to discuss their allegation.

• The council must carry out improvements to its policy about how it handles complaints against elected members (councillors).

• There should be a review of induction procedures to ensure new staff are aware of their right to bring forward concerns and complaints, and of the protection they will receive.