Councillor in court denies five assault charges

A Birmingham councillor will face trial next year after denying assaults on five people, including three police officers.

Siobhan Harper-Nunes, 66, who was elected as a Green Party councillor for Ladywood in the city council's elections in May, denied the offences at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Thursday.

Harper-Nunes, of Monument Road, Birmingham, was charged in connection with an incident that led officers to be called to the junction of Monument Road and Hagley Road in Edgbaston, on 6 August.

District Judge Michelle Smith told the defendant that she would face a trial lasting a day and a half on 19 and 20 July 2027. The councillor was allowed to remain on unconditional bail.

She pleaded not guilty to three counts of assaulting a police officer and two counts of assault by beating.

Following the assault charges, Harper-Nunes was suspended from the Green Party and is now listed as an independent councillor on the Birmingham City Council website.

The councillor also ran as the Green Party candidate for West Midlands mayor in 2024.

Harper-Nunes wore a long beige jacket and a black suit and spoke only to confirm her name and her address.

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