A body piercer was jailed for four years yesterday for a series of indecent assaults on customers at his clinic.

Ex-Tendring councillor Michael Robinson assaulted young women visiting his Colchester clinic between 1995 and 1998, the court was told.

Robinson, 53, showed little emotion as a judge at Chelmsford Crown Court jailed him for four years for a serious breach of trust, carrying out the indecent assaults as the women waited for work to be done on piercing their navels.

The assaults took place at his Igigi shop in the town's Eld Lane and in his car when he gave one woman a lift.

Robinson, from Frating Road, Ardleigh, was appearing at crown court for sentence after he was convicted last month on five charges of indecently assaulting clients.

He was also found guilty on two other indecent assaults on an assistant and cleared on four similar charges.

But in court yesterday he asked for three other indecent assaults to be taken into consideration after the court heard publicity during the trial had led to more people coming forward to complain about his behaviour.

The court heard Robinson - a former parish and district councillor - and his family had been devastated by his convictions and there was the possibility the business would go under with the loss of 14 jobs.

Gareth Hawkesworth, mitigating, also told the court the extent of the case had cost Robinson dear as he had paid for it privately and it had cost most of his personal savings.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.