A Newport councillor who landed in court for soliciting a sex worker is not standing for re-election.
Chris Evans, an independent councillor for Rogerstone, appeared at Newport Magistrates' Court in January, pleading guilty to soliciting the services of a prostitute on Commercial Road in Pillgwenlly. The 56-year-old received a one-year conditional discharge. You can read our report on his court appearance here.
Evans' lawyer told the court his client was already resigned to losing the councillor role — but shortly afterwards the defendant contradicted his representative as he told WalesOnline he had yet to decide on his position, adding: "Don't push me anymore. Let me have time to have a think. There is no rule that I have to."
Evans does not appear in the list of candidates for next month's Newport Council election. He resigned from the Newport Independents Party in January. At the time party leader Kevin Whitehead told WalesOnline that Evans was a "great councillor and needs time to deal with his mental health".
The court heard Evans had lost his job as a senior advertising manager for the South Wales Argus newspaper after being caught by police on May 22 last year with a sex worker in his car. Prosecutor Natasha Roberts said his crime was uncovered by an officer who was on duty at around 9.15pm.
She added: "The officer was chasing [a wanted man] on foot. He entered West Market Street and continued to look for the man. When the officer was in the middle of the road, the defendant's car passed him and pulled up on the side of the junction. The officer walked up to the vehicle to check if the wanted male had been seen by the driver. He recognised the driver as a local councillor, having been in meetings with him."
When Evans lowered his window and said hello, the officer replied: "Hello, you're Chris, the Rogerstone councillor." The officer then noticed a woman in the passenger seat. From his work with charities, he recognised her as a victim of sexual exploitation.
The officer asked why the woman was in Evans' car, to which the councillor stuttered and replied: "Er yeah, I work with her as part of my role with the Wallich." The officer described Evans' tone as "unconvincing".
Police later checked Evans' claim. The Wallich charity, which supports vulnerable people, said Evans had no role with them. And the woman who had been in the car told police that Evans was a "punter".
Rod Young, mitigating, said: "He had been in Pill that night. He parked his vehicle in the Asda car park. He walked through Pill, he had seen the prostitute and spoken to her. She was known to him. She had asked him if he would give her a lift because she was owed money.
"Initially he said no, but in the end he drove her to a property in Somerton where she picked up some money, and he drove her back [towards Pill]. It was during this journey, he concedes, that her services were discussed. Whether he would have ever gone through with it, we will never know. He did not go through with it and no money ever changed hands. He accepts a provision was made for an arrangement of sexual services. The officer recognised him. Had he not been a well known face, he would not have been here today.
"He'll never know why he did what he did that night. It was a lapse of judgement, it was a moment of madness, is how he described it. He has hitherto been an elected representative, a city councillor for Rogerstone, a respected and highly-thought-of member of the community. He is a person who has helped umpteen and countless people, not only in his constituency but also further afield in the Newport area, and also prostitutes and homeless people in the Pill area, which is ironically why he was known to the officer who identified him.
"Rather than put [the victim] through the ignominy of a trial, he has admitted a moment of madness, a lapse of judgement. Whatever punishment you impose today will pale into insignificant compared to what he has already suffered. He has lost his job as a senior advertising manager at Newsquest. He will undoubtedly lose his position as a councillor. Most importantly of all, his relationship with his daughter has been damaged, hopefully not irreparably, but for the foreseeable future."
Following the hearing Evans gave an interview to WalesOnline . He said: "I am going to start to do things differently. It is what it is. I made a mistake. The world kicked back a lot bloody harder. I have email evidence that I have advocated for the Wallich in the past. It is a bloody mess. I would say the whole thing has made me take a long hard look at myself."
He made reference to experiencing addiction issues and going through "recovery", though he declined to go into further detail. He said he had resigned from his role as a council-appointed governor at Bassaleg School and High Cross Primary.
Evans was first elected to Newport Council in 2012. He was originally a member of the Labour Party but became an independent councillor after he was suspended from the party in 2016 following a row over green space. He has been approached for comment on the upcoming election.
The following candidates are standing in the area in next month's elections: Shopon Chowdhury (Liberal Democrat), Bev Davies (Labour) and Toby Jones (Conservative) for Rogerstone East; Jonathan Gibbons (Labour) and Chris Reeks (Conservative) for Rogerstone North; and Graham John Berry (Conservative), Yvonne Forsey (Labour), Andrew Richard Hill (Conservative), Liz Newton (Liberal Democrat) and John Reynolds (Labour) for Rogerstone West.
