Former councillor found guilty of rape

A former councillor has been found guilty of a non-recent rape in Stoke-on-Trent.

Randolph Peter Conteh, 63, of Stoke-on-Trent, was found guilty of rape a female under 16 by a jury following a trial at Derby Crown Court today (Friday 16 June).

Conteh was arrested in June 2020 following after an allegation of rape was made to another police force.
 
The rape was reported to have taken place in Stoke-on-Trent in the late 1990s. It pre-dates when Conteh became a councillor at Stoke-on-Trent City Council. 
 
Staffordshire Police began an investigation and Conteh was charged in May 2021 but pleaded not guilty to the offence.
 
Detective Constable Rochelle Till, the officer in the case, said: “I want to praise the victim for her strength and courage in coming forward to report what happened and through the investigation and trial.
 
“We take all reports of sexual offences seriously no matter how long ago the offence is alleged to have taken place and there is a team of specially-trained detectives to support victims.”

Conteh will be sentenced on 15 July.