A disgraced ex Calderdale councillor who sparked a manhunt after fleeing to a West African island will now be sentenced for secretly filming 28 women over 15 years.
Robert Holden, 51, initially faced more than 60 charges relating to voyeurism, computer misuse and making indecent images when he was due to appear before Bradford magistrates in April 2022.
But Holden, of Row Lane, Sowerby Bridge, failed to attend the court hearing and a warrant for his arrest was issued. He was later tracked down on the West African island of Cape Verde and last September he was extradited back to the UK to face his trial.
At a hearing before Bradford Crown Court in December, Holden pleaded guilty to 30 voyeurism charges. That offending, which covers a period of about 15 years, is understood to relate as many as 28 victims.
Holden is said to have recorded victims doing private acts without their consent for his own sick sexual gratification. At the December hearing, Holden denied a series of further offences relating to computer misuse and making indecent images and was due to go in trial on April 22.
But at another Bradford Crown Court hearing on Thursday, he pleaded guilty to one more voyeurism charge and seven offences of computer misuse and his case has now been fixed for a sentence hearing to take place on July 19. Holden appeared at court in custody following his extradition and he was remanded back into custody by Judge Sophie McKone to await his sentence.
Holden had previously been an Independent councillor for Ryburn on Calderdale Council and was also a member of Ripponden Parish Council before he resigned his posts.
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