A FORMER North Yorkshire county councillor may never stand trial on serious sexual offences after a judge ruled he was too ill.

Long-retired Raymond Coates, 76, of Sawmills, Huby, will only face trial on sex charges if a doctor decides his health can handle the strain.

He was due to have stood trial with his son, Philip Nigel Coates, 46, of Ascot Way, Acomb, who was jailed yesterday for 13 years after being convicted of three charges of procuring a woman to have sex with his father, one of attempted procurement and one of inciting a woman to commit a serious sexual offence with an animal.

Philip Coates made life hell for two women by making them have sex with Raymond, Leeds Crown Court heard. The two men also got the younger of the two women to have sex with an animal, the jury was told.

The older man denied 12 sex charges at York Crown Court earlier this year, including inciting a woman to have sex with an animal, child rape and using threats to procure a woman for sex.

But before the jury was sworn in at Leeds Crown Court last week doctors called by the prosecution and defence told the Honorary Recorder of York, Judge Paul Hoffman, that Raymond Coates has hearing difficulties and cerebral vascular disease.

They described how he has great difficulty concentrating or understanding or hearing what is happening around him.

"With enormous reluctance, and I emphasise that, enormous reluctance because it is unsatisfactory that these very serious and nasty charges should remain unresolved, I am going to order a stay on this basis," said Judge Hoffman about the charges against the father.

"If the evidence were to demonstrate a recovery the stay can be revoked."

Although no further court hearings are currently planned, he has not been formally acquitted, nor has he been convicted of any offence.

Jailing Philip Coates, Judge Hoffman said: "You did this to satisfy yours and your father's perverted lust and to secure material advantages from your father."

The judge said that he regarded the offences as akin to rape and found it "extraordinary" that the maximum sentence for procurement was two years. He urged Parliament to change it.

Updated: 09:57 Saturday, July 19, 2003