Reform council leader breached rules after revealing child rape case information - Reform Watch

George Finch, the 19-year-old Reform UK leader of Warwickshire County Council, has been found to have breached the council’s code of conduct after publicly revealing confidential information connected to a live child rape investigation. An independent report published on 13 March concluded that Finch disclosed sensitive material while the criminal case remained before the courts, creating a risk to the fairness of the proceedings and causing potential distress to the child victim. The criminal case itself centred on a brutal assault in Nuneaton during July 2025, when a 12-year-old girl was abducted from a park and raped. Prosecutors later told Warwick Crown Court that the victim was highly vulnerable and described the attacker laughing during the assault. Police arrested two men within days. Ahmad Mulakhil, a 23-year-old asylum seeker who had arrived in Britain four months earlier, was charged with rape, child abduction, sexual assault and taking indecent photographs. Mohammad Kabir, also 23, faced charges linked to kidnap and assisting the attack. When the case reached trial in February 2026, Mulakhil was convicted by a jury while Kabir was acquitted. During the early stages of the investigation Warwickshire Police deliberately withheld the suspects’ immigration status from public statements, following national guidance intended to protect the integrity of criminal proceedings. Finch had been privately briefed in his capacity as council leader so that local authorities could manage community tensions and prevent unrest. Instead of keeping that information confidential, Finch raised the issue publicly at a Reform UK press conference in London on 4 August 2025 under the banner “Britain is Lawless”. During the event he claimed the suspects were asylum seekers and accused Warwickshire Police and the Home Office of concealing information from the public. He acknowledged during the press conference that releasing the details could place him in contempt of court, yet proceeded to publish the claims. Finch then released correspondence with the Home Secretary on social media, material that included information provided to him privately by police. The posts carried Warwickshire County Council branding and identified Finch in his official role as council leader. The independent investigation concluded that the information had been obtained through his public office and disclosed without authorisation. Finch argued during the inquiry that speaking publicly served the public interest and fell within his right to free expression under Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The investigator rejected that defence and concluded that the potential harm to the victim, the fairness of the trial and the stability of the local community outweighed Finch’s claim to political speech. Although Finch was cleared on other elements of the council’s code relating to respect and integrity, the confirmed breach still leaves him facing potential sanctions that may include formal censure or removal from council committees. Two further complaints about his conduct remain under investigation. The findings arrive amid growing scrutiny of Finch’s leadership. Green Party councillors tabled a motion of no confidence earlier in March, arguing that his conduct had brought Warwickshire County Council into disrepute. Reform UK has not issued a public response to the ruling, and the council says its monitoring officer will now consider what action to take. The report leaves a stark conclusion on the record. Information shared privately with a council leader in order to protect a vulnerable child and safeguard a criminal trial was later broadcast in a political press conference and amplified online. Investigators concluded that decision crossed the line set by the council’s code of conduct.