STAR'S SEX SHAME
Coronation Street star Bruno Langley blames his sex attacks on women ‘on stress of playing gay character’
EX-CORRIE star Bruno Langley was branded a "dirty pervert" as he walked free from court after admitting groping two women in a nightclub.
The 34-year-old escaped jail today after admitting two offences of sexual assault at Manchester Magistrates' Court — but bizarrely blamed it on the stress of his gay TV role.
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Coronation Street actor Bruno Langley arrives at court on a sexual assault charge
The court heard he lunged at two women, one in her 30s and another in her 20s, at Band On The Wall nightclub in Manchester's Northern Quarter on October 1.
A judge was told that a victim was left "shocked and angry" after the assault by a clearly drunk Langley.
Yet he amazingly avoided jail for the boozy club assaults after his lawyer argued his TV portrayal of gay Todd Grimshaw was a factor.
Langley's solicitor Simon Hancock said: “It was completely out of character. Something happened that night, most possibly in relation to the character he was playing. These two offences happened within one evening but are linked to alcohol. The result was despicable behaviour.”
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A close pal added outside court: “Bruno played a high-profile gay character for 16 years. People often think he’s gay in real-life. He sometimes feels he needs to act more of a lad than he is to stop assumptions about his sexuality.”
The shamed star was jeered by angry onlookers as he left Manchester Magistrates' Court today.
One man repeatedly yelled "dirty pervert" at Langley as he was escorted to a waiting car by bodyguards.
In a statement issued after the case, he said: "I sincerely apologise to the people involved and affected by my disgraceful behaviour on the evening of 30th September.
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"I have absolutely no memory of what happened because of excessive alcohol consumption and it was for this reason that I behaved completely out of character.
"However, I take full responsibility for my actions that night.
"Since this incident I have been dealing with, and confronting some personal issues that I have never addressed, and I am also getting help for an alcohol problem, so that this does not ever happen again."
Langley has been slapped with a 12 month community to order that will see him given a curfew and electronic tag.
He will also be placed on the sex offenders' register for five years and must may his victims £250 each.
District Judge Mark Hadfield said: "On that evening your conduct was quite disgraceful, indeed degrading.
"On a number of occasions you sexually assaulted females whilst being on licensed premises."
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Prosecutor Karen Saffman had told the court that at about 1am his first victim had gone upstairs to collect her coat intending to leave.
As she made her way back towards the stairs Langley grabbed her, the court was told.
Ms Saffman, quoting the victim's statement, said: "He grabbed me. Properly grabbed me. It was a rough grab, really right in. Lots of pressure."
The victim said she had thought about hitting him, but was in a state of shock.
Ms Saffman said a friend of Langley's had apologised for his actions.
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The second victim said Langley grabbed her breasts and bum "forcefully" leaving her feeling "disgusted".
The prosecutor said Lanley had also groped two other women on the evening but was not facing charges over these allegations.
In mitigation Mr Hancock said he was not a "serial groper"; describing his actions as an "alcohol fuelled" and "isolated" incident.
He added: "It is clear he has made steps to address his personal issues, that is by attending meetings and seeking counselling.
"The impact on his family and those close to him is absolutely devastating.
"These two offences happened one evening but they are clearly linked to alcohol and alcohol is the issue that results in despicable behaviour."
Langley admitted to the court that he had a problem with alcohol and on occasions did not remember his actions while on booze binges.
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Langley made his Corrie debut as Todd Grimshaw in 2001 and was the first openly gay character in the soap.
In a statement released before he was charged, the actor said: "Sadly, I will no longer be working on Coronation Street. Acting on the show has been the fulfilment of a personal dream.
"Playing the role of Todd Grimshaw since I was 17 years old has been a huge part of my life, and an absolute honour.
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"I would like to thank all of my friends who work on the show for their love, friendship and support during this extremely difficult period."
According to a source, Langley's contract ended on October 26 following an internal inquiry into the allegation, with soap bosses scrambling to rewrite storylines.
Langley has also had roles in Doctor Who, Dalziel And Pascoe and in several theatrical productions, including Calendar Girls and The Mousetrap
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