Len's little foible was for fingering young girls at Haslingden swimming baths. Staff at the baths became suspicious of his conduct and notified the Rozzers. At that stage they didn't have enough to arrest him so they sent in a pretty blonde policewoman in undercover ( swimming costume ).wanderlust wrote:
On another note, Corrie has history when it comes to child abuse - Len Fairclough got done for it.
She observed him helping young girls to swim by holding them aloft while they paddled and she also saw his fingers doing naughties under the water. The victims were under ten years old and back then the police didn't have video interview suites for juveniles, nor did they have specially trained officers. They didn't routinely take statements from children under ten either. The police charged him with indecent assault on a minor and the only prosecution witnesses were the policewoman and staff from the baths.
Len appeared before Manchester Crown Court where he was represented by a very expensive barrister. The trial was a farce with the defence discrediting the evidence of the policewoman who was relatively young in service. Fairclough was acquitted but was still banned from the baths and his career went to ratshit. Shortly before he died he admitted to a journalist that he had carried out the assaults and that he had had a penchant for young girls for many years. Whenever Len was seen out and about somebody would always end up singing, A finger of fudge is just enough to give the kids a treat.
Peter Dudley, who played Bert Tildsley was another one who liked to take a walk on the wild side. He was convicted of indecently exposing his todger to another male in some bogs in Didsbury. He was fined £200 but the producers stood by him and he kept his job. A few months later he tried it on with another male in some public toilets in Manchester but unfortunately for him the other male was a plainclothes policeman. Never come between a copper and his truncheon. He died of a stroke/ heart attack at 48 before his court case had been dealt with..