David Barker, newly elected councillor for Deptford and Hendon in Sunderland, has come under scrutiny over assaulting his former girlfriend and allegedly abusing a child.
In 2019, Barker received a suspended sentence at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court after being convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against his former girlfriend.
According to reporting by the Sunderland Echo at the time, prosecutor Clare Irving told the court that Barker’s paranoia over fears his partner was cheating on him led to a violent attack which left her “black and blue”.
In a victim impact statement read to the court, Barker’s former partner said: “He’s said I am seeing other people behind his back and that has led to friction between us.
“I hid away from my family and friends because I did not want them to see what David had done.”
The court was shown photographs of injuries including black eyes, bruising to her arm and behind her ear, as well as a cut to her head.
Barker’s defence argued his excessive cannabis use contributed to paranoia and behavioural issues. He was handed a 22 week prison sentence suspended for 18 months, ordered to complete 15 rehabilitation activity days, attend a Building Better Relationships programme, and pay £500 compensation to the victim.
Further allegations have since circulated online following investigations by the campaign group Reform Party Exposed. The group claimed Barker operated a website and Facebook page called The Masked Truth, which purported to support people involved in disputes with social services and family courts.
According to screenshots shared online by the group from a Facebook page called Predator Awareness, Barker and his former partner were accused of abusing and neglecting a child. The allegations included claims the child was left in unsanitary conditions, deprived of food and burned with cigarettes. These allegations have not been tested in court.
The same posts also alleged Barker used multiple aliases, including Daniel Murray and Harry Watts, to harass individuals online.
Additional screenshots shared by Reform Party Exposed appear to show another individual demanding Barker remove photographs of their child from his social media pages and cease using the images.
Separately, multiple female social and court workers have alleged Barker engaged in repeated harassment over an extended period, although no criminal findings relating to those claims have been publicly confirmed.
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