Former DUP councillor to be sentenced for historic sexual offences

A former DUP councillor will be sentenced this summer for historic sexual offences he admitted committing against three females.

William Ball – an ex-Alderman who served on Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council – was due to stand trial on Thursday on charges of indecent assault and indecent exposure.

Last December the 67-year old appeared at Belfast Crown Court where he admitted five separate charges of indecent exposure on dates between April 1977 and June 1991.

Whilst he pleaded guilty to “committing an act of a lewd, obscene and disgusting nature by exposing your person” to three separate woman, he denied further charges of indecent exposure, and of indecently assaulting two of them.

Mr Ball, whose address is the subject of a reporting restriction, was due to stand trial on these charges and the hearing was listed to commence on Thursday.

However, as a jury was about to be sworn, Mr Ball’s barrister asked Judge Donna McColgan if the charges could be put to his client again.

Mr Ball pleaded guilty to two charges of indecent assault he initially denied, as well as admitting three further charges of indecent exposure.

The offences were committed over a period from October 1978 to June 1991.

Following Thursday’s guilty pleas, Mr Ball was told he will be sentenced for a total of 10 historic sexual offences on July 1st.

Judge McColgan told Mr Ball she was releasing him on continuing bail, but warned him not to take this as an indication of the sentence he will receive in July.

The Judge also ordered Ball to sign the Sex Offenders Register “as of today” and said the duration of this will depend on the ultimate sentence he receives.