A Labour deputy mayor has been suspended after it emerged she provided a character witness for one of Britain's most notorious rapists and killers, who went on to sexually assault another woman following his release from prison.
Shocking Support for Serial Offender
Councillor Kathleen Fraser provided both a character witness and defence statement on behalf of Ronald Evans, 84, who had spent more than 50 years in prison for horrific crimes. Evans was convicted of murdering 21-year-old Kathleen Heathcote in 1963 and committing multiple sex attacks in Bristol between 1977 and 1979.
Despite his lengthy criminal history, Evans was released in 2018 and moved to London the following year. The justice system's decision to free him would have devastating consequences for another victim.
Another Attack After Release
In July 2022, Evans persuaded a 55-year-old woman to visit his flat after they met at an event in Wembley run by Councillor Fraser, who had been elected to the council that same year. During the visit, Evans grabbed the woman's bottom after chillingly confessing to murdering Ms Heathcote, describing it as an "accidental murder".
The victim immediately reported the assault to Ms Fraser, pleading with her to investigate Evans's history. "A simple search on the Sex Offenders Database would have revealed who he really was," the victim later told the Daily Mail. "But she didn't do this and almost two weeks later, she stopped responding to my calls and emails."
When the victim discovered Evans had previously targeted another woman after his release and provided this information to Ms Fraser, the councillor reportedly warned her that contacting police might result in her being 'bruised by a negative response'.
Delayed Suspension and Political Fallout
Despite Evans being jailed for four years for the sexual assault in 2023, and Ms Fraser attending court as a defence witness and providing a character statement for him, the Labour Party took 18 months to suspend her after the victim's complaint in January 2023.
The delay occurred despite Ms Fraser being appointed deputy mayor in May this year, with her suspension only coming in June.
Tory justice spokesman Dr Kieran Mullan criticised the Labour Party's response, stating: "This victim made extremely serious accusations and for a Labour Party which says tackling violence against women and girls is a priority to take more than a year to investigate will leave the victim rightly questioning where that priority was with her situation."
The victim described how seeing an ITV documentary about Evans's crimes caused her "immense trauma" and led to "an exacerbation of underlying PTSD and the development of an eating disorder." She eventually reported the assault to police herself.
When approached by the Daily Mail after Evans's conviction in 2023, Ms Fraser claimed she had not initially been aware of the severity of his crimes. She did not respond to recent requests for comment.
