A MAN who was sexually abused as a teenager by a former council chairman has told how he is still suffering more than 20 years later.

The 37-year-old, who was indecently assaulted by Peter McLaughlin, said he is undergoing counselling and needs medication for stress management.

McLaughlin, former chairman of Stanley Town Council and the Area Action Partnership, was given a six month suspended sentence by Carlisle Crown Court on Friday after he admitted two counts of indecent assault in the early 1990s.

The victim, who is now married and has four children, said McLaughlin, a former family friend, developed an inappropriate relationship with him as a teenager.

He said: “The flashbacks I have still affect my life. I can be walking down the street and see someone from my past or even get a smell, such as aftershave, or any scent from the house where the abuse took place.

“I still deal with that trauma every day, every night.

“I am still suffering massively. I have a massive amount of anger that I have to manage.”

McLaughlin’s sentence has been suspended for two years, he is the subject of a sexual offences prevention order and must sign the sex offenders’ register for seven years.

His victim said: “I am happy with the sentence. The aim I set out with all along was to prevent Peter from being able to abuse any other people.

“The sexual offence prevention order and the sex offenders’ register were two things that were paramount to me to get from it.”

McLaughlin, 62, of Murray Park, Stanley, faced 15 charges and went through two trials, before admitting his guilt on day one of a third, claiming his victim was asking him for money.

The victim said: “I was pleased at the third trial that he admitted the abuse and paedophilic tendencies. He denied any involvement with me at the previous two trials.

“I went to court telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, not to sound like a homophobic, money-grabbing liar.”

He has thanked Detective Constable Bev Barnes, who led the investigation and Safety Net, a charity that offers counselling to victims of sexual abuse.

He said: “I have not yet been able to get to the closure side of my counselling. I have come a long way in dealing with the post-traumatic stress.

“I hope that I can get to a place where I can forget about it.”