Referring to the statement from Councillor Rob Curtis in last week's Barry and District News (June 11), he seems to be painting himself as some sort of victim of a miscarriage of justice and not the guilty party involved.

With the court case having been brought forward and a public hearing denied to his constituents we are unlikely to ever know the full truth of what happened and there is certainly nothing that I have seen that corroborates Councillor Curtis' version of events.

If Councillor Curtis was so convinced and adamant of his innocence, why did he plead guilty to any charge, even a lesser one, when he could have fought for his innocence in court?

It's interesting to note in his statement that he is thanking his fellow Councillors and constituents for their kind messages of support.

I wonder if those fellow councillors who have offered their support would like to publish their messages so that their constituents can see who they are and why they have chosen to support him so that they can make an informed choice at the next election?

Also in his statement there are 369 words with just 22 words, in one sentence, apologising to "the woman" and her family.

Why does Councillor Curtis seem to be so intent on dismissing the age of the girl involved (a mere 17) - is that merely a ploy to divert attention from the seriousness of the crime committed?

He has simply not admitted any responsibility for how the victim interpreted the incident and instead appears to be desperately trying to convince us all it was simply a gesture of friendship and that he has done nothing wrong. Is that why he has not actually apologised for the common assault but just for the upset caused?

In truth, his version of events cannot be corroborated and, therefore, his statement is not worth the paper its written on or social media its plastered all over.

Interestingly enough, some time back the Barry and District News carried the story of his standing down from his Cabinet position to concentrate more fully on his NHS career - one has to wonder now whether he was aware at the time of standing down that a charge of alleged sexual assault was due to be made or indeed had been made and he was simply jumping ship before this fact became known.

The main thing here is that he has pleaded guilty to common assault on a 17-year-old girl and as such he should vacate his post as a Labour Councillor for the Gibbonsdown ward and also, in my view, he should resign from the Labour Party.

Keith Lewis

Barry