He was a 'respected' fireman, then he crept into the bed of a 17-year-old girl

A 'respected' fireman has been found guilty of sexual assaulting a 17-year-old girl after he crept into her bed after a party.

Edward Snook, who is engaged to be married, turned up drunk at the girl's home at 4am and asked if he could stay. The girl, who was aged 17 at the time, gave him a pillow and blanket to stay on the sofa but he went into her bedroom and said he needed to charge his phone.

Snook, who was 31 at the time, instead got into her bed and stroked her stomach. He told the girl: "You're beautiful - 17 and 30 is not bad."

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The girl fled the room in a state of panic when he started to touch himself and was said to be 'hyperventilating for 20 minutes'. But the dad-of-two stayed for a further two hours before eventually leaving at 6am and saying: "Thank you for this, hopefully we can do this again."

He was reported to the police after the girl told her family. Snook, now 33, was said to be a 'respected' fireman in the Knutsford area, working for the Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service.

But he has since been suspended and is set to lose his job, Crewe Magistrates' Court heard. Snook was found guilty of sexual assault following a trial.

He will be sentenced next month and was warned he faced being locked up for six months under sentencing guidelines. He will also have to sign the sex offenders' register.

Snook admitted going to the girl's house in the hope of having sex with her but denied touching her or behaving sexually. Prosecutor Katy Johnson told the court how the incident happened in 2023 after Snook had been at a party with his friends in Knutsford.

He texted the girl and asked if he could stay over at her