A GRAMMY Award winning conductor from Otley has appeared in court accused of sexual offences.

Joseph Cullen appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court last week charged with two counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous practices and behaviour.

The 54 year old made no plea or declaration when he appeared in private on petition, and the Crown Office confirmed that his case has been submitted for further examination and that he has been released on bail.

No date has yet been set for his next court appearance, but under Scottish law his case must return to the court within 180 days.

It is not yet known where or when the alleged offences took place.

Mr Cullen, who was born in Glasgow, is Huddersfield Choral Society's chorus master and has during a distinguished musical career helped produce the BBC Proms, led London Symphony Orchestra and been the director of music at

Leeds Cathedral.

In Otley he is known as a cycling campaigner and worked recently with the Town Council over plans to improve facilities in the town. He was also welcomed to Westminster in June by local MP Greg Mulholland (Lib Dem, Leeds North West) and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg at a pre-Tour de France event.

Huddersfield Choral Society reacted to the news of the legal proceedings by immediately suspending Mr Cullen as its chorus master.

A statement on the group's website says: "The officers of the Choral Society have taken immediate steps to suspend Mr Cullen to protect the interests of the society and its members pending the legal outcome of the allegations.

"The society is not aware of any instances of misconduct during Mr Cullen's association with the choir and, as such, has nothing more to add at this stage, but will update this statement as soon as the outcome of the case is known or if anything material occurs in the meantime.

"Preparations for the Society's next concert on October 31, along with all other musical matters, will continue without interruption."

Mr Cullen has won two Grammy Awards for his work as director of the London Symphony Chorus and has conducted many orchestras, including the Northern Sinfonia, the BBC Concert Orchestra and the Orchestra of Opera North.

He won a scholarship at the age of nine to study violin and piano at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, and completed one year full-time there before reading music at Cambridge University, where he was organ scholar of Trinity College.

His own website describes him as "an outstanding choral maestro, organist, church musician and teacher, much in demand in the UK and worldwide."