A FIREFIGHTER snuck into a 17-year-old girl’s room and climbed into her bed after a party.
Knutsford resident Edward Snook, aged 33, has been convicted of sexual assault following a trial at Crewe Magistrates Court.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service chief fire officer and chief executive Alex Waller has welcomed the guilty verdict.
He said: “First and foremost, our thoughts are with the victim of this offence and her family.
“We suspended the individual on the day he was arrested by police and he resigned from his role in July 2023.
"A disciplinary hearing held in his absence in November determined that had he still been an employee, he would have been dismissed for gross misconduct.”
The court heard how an inebriated Snook arrived at the victim’s address at 4am on April 29, 2023, asking her for a place to stay.
Having been provided with a blanket and a pillow for the couch, Snook snuck into her room, pretending he wanted to charge his phone.
The then 31-year-old climbed into the victim's bed and began to touch her before later performing a sex act on himself, at which point the teenager fled.
The victim told the court she had a panic attack in the living room, hyperventilating for around 20 minutes as she contemplated what to do next.
Snook, an engaged father-of-two, hung around for another two hours before eventually leaving the house at 6am.
His actions came to light when the victim told her family.
A trial took place at Crewe Magistrates Court, with Snook being found guilty on August 13.
During the trial, Snook, formerly the company director of Knutsford-based Yellow Duck Removals Limited, confessed to visiting the girl’s home with the intention of engaging in sexual activity.
However, he denied any claims of actual physical or sexual misconduct.
Prosecutor Katy Johnson told the court that the incident occurred after Snook had been out partying with friends.
During the trial the court heard that Snook is a ‘respected’ figure around Knutsford, known for his work with Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service.
In addition to his on-call role, Snook served as a full-time firefighter until September 2022.
Snook, of Pemberton Close, is due to be sentenced on September 16.
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