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Former mayor Colin Jones has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a hospital patient.

Jones, a former chairman of a police authority, mayor and Haverhill Town Councillor, assaulted the woman while rubbing cream onto her chest. He claimed to be treating bedsores.

After two hours’ deliberation, a jury of three woman and nine men found Jones guilty of indecently assaulting the woman on May 3 last year at West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds.

Sentence was adjourned until next month for reports and Jones, of Dane Common, Kedington, who walked out of court refusing to comment, was given bail.

Jones, a 56-year-old care worker, told Norwich Crown Court he had the woman patient’s consent and permission to apply the cream.

But the woman, a 58-year-old grandmother suffering from a disease affecting the lungs, muscles and joints, said she had been “totally shocked.”

She said she did not resist because Jones had introduced himself as a nurse.

Later, after the court hearing, it was revealed Jones had been previously warned about his behaviour.

Hospital chides confirmed Jones had been reprimanded for “inappropriate behaviour” towards another woman patient 18 months earlier.

A spokesman for the West Suffolk Hospitals Trust said that Jones had been spoken to by his manager and reminded of his duty of care towards woman patients.

The spokesman said: “His performance was monitored for a time after that incident.”

However, the complaint was in no way as severe as the second complaint which led to the court case.

“When the second complaint was made, he was suspended from duty immediately by the trust.”

Coun Gerry Kiernan, a member of St Edmundsbury Borough Council and Haverhill Town Council, who served with Jones as a councillor for more than a decade, said: “I knew Colin for years but you don’t always see the other side if a person you know as a councillor. It has all come as quite a shock.”

“It is sad the whole thing has happened, but the victim was a very vulnerable person who needed to be protected, and Colin had to be punished.”

The detective in charge of the investigation, Det Con Nigel Gregory, later praised the victims courage.

Jones was a member of St Edmundsbury Borough Council for 16 years and mayor in 1995 and 1993

He was also a member of Suffolk Police Authority from 1983 – 1995 and chairman from 1993 – 94.

A spokesman for Suffolk Police said: “This was a sensitive case involving a vulnerable woman.

“Anyone is the woman’s position deserved to be treated with inappropriate care and respect and the police would like to thank bother her and the hospital for their co-operation in bringing this to trial.”