An Isle of Wight Councillor, convicted of historic child rape, has resigned from committee positions on the Isle of Wight Council.
Cllr Daryll Pitcher also gave his apologies for not attending the full Isle of Wight Council meeting this evening (Wednesday).
A statement was read out by the authority’s monitoring officer Chris Potter and confirmed, from yesterday (Tuesday), Cllr Pitcher had resigned from all committee positions.
As it stands, Cllr Pitcher is still representative for Wootton Bridge on the Isle of Wight Council.
It follows a six-day trial at the Isle of Wight Crown Court where Pitcher was found guilty of two counts of rape between 1990 and 1992 — when he was a teenager.
A jury reached their verdict after nearly five hours.
During the legal proceedings — in which Pitcher has maintained his innocence — he has been a serving member of the Isle of Wight Council, chairing sub-committees and attending meetings.
A council spokesperson yesterday confirmed Pitcher, 46, currently remains in office and the council has no powers to remove him from his position.
Unless Pitcher resigns or becomes statutorily disqualified from holding office, he can remain in his role.
Under the Local Government Act 1972, a councillor can be disqualified from holding a position on a local authority if they are sentenced for longer than three months.
Speaking after the verdict yesterday, Recorder Richard Onslow told Pitcher he had no sentence in mind for him and all options were open.
Pitcher will be sentenced at the Isle of Wight Crown Court in April.
A pre-sentence probation report is being produced.
Pitcher has already been placed on the Sex Offenders’ Register.
During the trial, the victim told the jury Pitcher had taken her virginity when she was a child and raped her on two occasions.
Conservative council group leader, Cllr Joe Robertson, called for Pitcher to resign and said it sends an atrocious message to women and girls across the Island, should he continue to attend council meetings.
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