Narraser Gordon: Deceiving

Narraser Gordon (Labour Youth Officer and Black and Minority Ethnic Officer)

Narraser Gordon, 24, claimed at the Labour Party's conference in September that eight of her family members had been killed in Bristol.

After a standing ovation from politicians, local newspapers picked up on the Labour youth officer's speech.

BBC Inside Out has found most of the people she said were dead are alive.

Ms Gordon told the conference: "I'm here to talk about why the young people are dying before they can even see the age of 21.

"This is an issue causing a problem in all the cities in the UK, including... my own area of Bristol, with eight of my family members being murdered here."

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Zultra's Notes: What is a "Black and Minority Ethnic Officer"?

Hassan Ahmed: Conflicting Interests

Hassan Ahmed (Labour)

Senior Labour city councillor Hassan Ahmed took part in a decision to award a contract worth £500,000 of public money to a company where he was director and chairman, the District Auditor has concluded.

An investigation into Nottingham City Council's Future Jobs Fund by the auditor, Sue Sunderland, has concluded Hassan Ahmed, the councillor responsible for the scheme, should have told officers about his links with the company, the First Enterprise Business Agency (FEBA).

He should also not have participated in discussions about its funding.

Mr Ahmed has denied he was involved in any decision to give money to FEBA, but the auditor Sue Sunderland believes he "was actively involved in that decision".

She said his participation in discussions may have left him in breach of the council's code of conduct.

Members of the council's Standards Committee are now considering whether they should investigate.

Mr Ahmed has been a director of FEBA, a business support organisation, since it was first registered in 1993. He is also its chairman.

FEBA was awarded 50 job placements under the Future Jobs Fund scheme, each placement attracting funding of approximately £10,000 to cover wages, costs, as well as training and support.

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Zultra's Notes: Don't forget there are many more like him that aren't reported, if your local cllr is putting his/her interests ahead of the local communities, contact me so I can expose them.

Mark Burton: Sexually Abusing Children

Mark Burton (Labour)

North East councillor Mark Burton, who was chairman of a committee responsible for children's welfare, has been jailed for 22 months for sexually assaulting a girl and hiding pictures of child abuse on his computer.

Mark Burton, 43, preyed on his victim after a party to celebrate his re-election to Darlington Counc
il last May, and police found horrific images on his laptop.

He has spent 171 days in custody prior to sentence at Teesside Crown Court, yet has managed to claim almost £6,700 in allowances from the council. Burton has faced calls from the council leader for the cash to be repaid.

The married father of three was chairman of the council's children and young persons' scrutiny committee - a role the court heard he took to promote his political career.

Joanne Kidd, prosecuting, said Burton took advantage of the schoolgirl following a drunken party to celebrate his re-election to the Harrowgate Hill ward.

The girl later complained to police and officers found 16 images of child abuse in a computer folder named ZNROP -"pornz" backwards - and discovered he had searched the internet thousands of times for phrases linked to paedophilia. Specialist officers also found a file-wiping piece of software which digitally shredded documents he had held on his computer.

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Zultra's Notes: Don't forget about the Labour 25

Ann Holland: Verbal Abuse

Councillor Ann Holland in Tameside has apologised after she wished ‘Margaret Thatcher would go blind’.

Ann Holland made the controversial remarks during a Tameside council meeting – where £22m cuts were agreed.

Attacking cuts to the NHS, she listed public figures, including David Cameron and Prince Philip,who had been treated by the health service.

Coun Holland, a Labour member for Droylsden West, told the meeting: “Where did Margaret Thatcher go for her eyes – I dearly wish she’d go blind but she went to the NHS.” 

Baroness Thatcher, 86, underwent laser eye surgery while in office in 1983.

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Nikki Sinclaire: Fiddling expenses

Nikki Sinclair (ex-UKIP MEP)

ex-UKIP MEP Nikki Sinclair has been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud the European Parliament for allegedly claiming road mileage but travelling on a much cheaper flight.

Nikki Sinclaire, from Meriden, West Midlands, was quizzed by detectives from West Midlands Police's Economic Crime Unit over allegations about her allowance and expense claims.

Miss Sinclaire, who was elected as a UKIP MEP for the West Midlands in June 2009, was arrested at a Birmingham police station on February 22nd 2012. 

She had the UKIP whip withdrawn in 2010 following rows over policy, but continues to represent the region in the European Parliament as an independent.

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Zultra's Notes: Although the grass roots of UKIP are Nationalists, the higher echelons aren't fond of Nationalists as they have restricted anyone affiliated with the BNP (and other similar groups) from joining.

Eric Joyce - Fighting in the commons

Labour MP Eric Joyce

Eric Joyce (Labour MP) has been suspended from the party after was arrested following an alleged brawl in a House of Commons bar last night.

Eric Joyce is said to have punched several Tory MPs in the fracas just before 11pm last night. It is reported he also hit a Labour MP.

Stuart Andrew, MP for Pudsey, was reportedly headbutted and punched in the Strangers Bar, a Commons bar reserved for MPs and their guests.

An eyewitness told the Politics Home website that Mr Joyce, a former Army officer who represents Falkirk, pushed a Tory MP and then started punching other Conservative members seated at the back of the bar. 

Drinks were also allegedly thrown over some bar patrons.

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Zultra's Notes: This is the same man that claims Nationalists are violent?

Geoff Wiseman: bullying

Geoff Wiseman

Tory councillor Geoff Wisman has been suspended after allegations of bullying and intimidation.

Complaints were made against Geoff Wiseman, the councillor for Middle Rasen, dating back to late April 2010 when he is believed to have repeatedly sworn at one officer at Lincolnshire County Council and called her a liar.

On July 1, 2010, Mr Wiseman is then said to have used inappropriate language and expletives towards other officers at the county council at a meeting of the Lincolnshire Performance Management Group.

Complaints have also been made regarding inappropriate and intimidating incidents from within the district council, bringing his office into disrepute.

Mr Wiseman also threatened to "string up" a monitoring officer at the district council who was involved in the investigation of his conduct.

The decision to suspend Mr Wiseman was made by the West Lindsey District Council standards committee, after a meeting which Mr Wiseman attended.

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Florence Anderson: IRA supporter

Florence Anderson (labour)

Sunderland City Councillor Florence Anderson "liked" a comment that called for an IRA bomb at the next Conservative conference.

The comment was posted on the Facebook Group titled "Margaret Thatcher doesn’t have to be dead before we give her a funeral" - of which Miss Anderson is a member.

Offending comment.

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Penny Jackman: Assault

Penny Jackman (tory)

A town hall by-election ended in violence when a 72-year-old candidate was slapped by a Conservative councillor.

UKIP member Mike Beggs was attending the count at Lymington Town Hall when he was struck by Tory Penny Jackman, a member of the district council and the New Forest National Park Authority.

Mr Beggs, of Lymington, said the blow broke the four-tooth bridge in his upper left jaw and had caused him sleepless nights.

Cllr Jackman took exception to Mr Beggs's election leaflets, which mentioned the controversial attempt by the town council to evict Lymington cricket Club from the town centre ground it has occupied for 175 years.

The leaflets cited one meeting at which Cllr Jackman clashed with the cricketers and told a fellow councillor: “Let's shut the buggers down.”

Mr Beggs said he was subjected to a “tirade” of abuse by Cllr Jackman at the count and was suddenly slapped in the face.

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Roger Keeble & Alan Braid: Failure to represent the community

Alan braid (Tory)

Alan Braid has made zero inquiries or report any sort of problem within his constituency, meaning he has failed to represent his constituents. 

Roger Keeble (Independent)

Roger Keeble has also made zero inquiries or report any sort of problem within his constituency, meaning he has also failed to represent his constituents.

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John Holden: Benefit fraud

John Holden (Labour)

John Holden, 62, who represented Inverness South in the Highlands, was sentenced at the city's sheriff court today to a year in prison for defrauding £43,000-worth of benefits.

He was found guilty July 2011  after a 12-day trial.

Holden was convicted of committing the fraud over nine years, between January 1999 and August 2008.

On sentencing, Sheriff Abercrombie told him: "By deliberately making false claims for benefit and by deliberately failing to notify your true financial circumstances, you together with all other cheats who try to beat the system for personal gain have undermined that social contract. You have shown cold contempt for it."

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Darren Pedley: Child Porn

Ex-Labour Darren Pedley

Thirty-nine year-old Darren Pedley, appeared at Bolton Crown Court on Monday (16 January) charged with 12 counts of making indecent images of children.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Mr Pedley, formerly of Daventry Road, Kirkholt, was a Labour Councillor for Balderstone and Kirkholt between 2004 and 2007.

The charges relate to incidents in October 2010.

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John Friary: Child Grooming

John Friary 

Friary, a former Labour councillor, was snared by a blackmailer posing as a 15-year-old girl on internet chat rooms.

Officers from Hertfordshire Police had been investigating Peter Simms, who pleaded guilty to blackmail at St Albans Crown Court and was subsequently jailed for 21 months in May last year.

They flagged Friary – a blackmail victim of Simms – to the Met's Paedophile Unit.

"Inquiries revealed that Friary was one of the individuals Simms had been in contact with," said the Yard.

"Conversations between the pair involved Friary’s attempts to make arrangements to meet the individual – believing him to be a 15-year-old girl – with the intention of committing a sexual offence."

John Friary, who has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register, was arrested on 25 January (last year) and taken to Fulham police station where he was charged with "attempting to arrange to meet a child following sexual grooming".

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Tony Brice: Benefit fraud

Conservative Tony Brice

Cllr Tony Brice pleaded guilty to three counts of benefit fraud totalling nearly £3,000 has been given a curfew and ordered to carry out unpaid community work.

But Tony Brice, 67, who represents the Lindley ward on Kirklees Council says he is determined to appeal and to retain his position on the council despite his Conservative group disowning him last year when the 21-strong group voted to expel him.

Magistrates in Halifax heard that Brice had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing in Dewsbury to obtaining £2,977.32 in benefits to which he was not entitled.

For the prosecution, Samantha Lawton, said the offences related to non-disclosure of information beginning in May 2010 regarding pension income, an HSBC Isa account and a savings account.

This was compounded in July that year by his failing to notify the authorities that there had been a change in his financial circumstances – namely he had been receiving a second pension of £67 a month for five months.

Then in October he failed to declare an increase in income from a pension which had risen from £392 to £442.

Ms Lawton said he had a number of opportunities to notify the council of the changes during 2010 but failed to do so.

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Bob Bates: Child and Animal porn

Ex-Conservative Bob Bates

Former Wycombe District Councillor Bob Bate appeared before court this morning charged with child and animal pornography offences.

The 62-year-old of Moncrieffe Close, Dudley, appeared before Wycombe Magistrates charged with 17 counts of making indecent photos of children.

The former Hazlemere Parish Council chairman stands accused of four counts of distributing indecent images of children and one charge of possessing to show or distribute indecent photographs of children.

The ex-Conservative party whip is also charged with possessing extreme pornographic images with animals and to intentionally encourage the commission of an either way offence.

Bate spoke only to confirm his name and address, and did not indicate a plea.

He has been released on unconditional bail and is due to appear back before magistrates on April 3.

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Milan Radulovic: Benefit Fraud

Milan Radulovic (Labour leader of Broxtowe Borough Council)

Milan Radulovic, Labour leader of Broxtowe Borough Council, is accused of receiving an overpayment in his incapacity benefit of £45,511.

This relates to allowances he is said to have claimed as a councillor, but did not declare as earnings, The council is run by a coalition of Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors.

His case will be heard at Nottingham Magistrates' Court on March 16.

Mr Radulovic has served as leader of the council since the election in May 2011 and has served as a councillor in Eastwood since 1986.

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Terry Manning: Abuse of his position

Torbay Vice-Chairman Terry Manning (Tory) 

Torbay Council vice-chairman Terry Manning has been suspended for abusing his position as councillor.

A council standards hearing heard how he threatened to make trouble for a car recovery firm in a row over the release of his daughter-in-law's car.

A hearing sub-committee of the standards board of the council unanimously agreed Cllr Manning, a Tory Brixham councillor, had twice breached the code of conduct of councillors.

It found Cllr Manning had tried to use his position to secure the release of a car belonging to his daughter-in-law after it had been impounded by police and also made threats to make trouble for the business.

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Judith Best: Assault

Liberal Democrat Deputy mayor of Lambeth Judith Best

Councillor Judith Best and her son have been arrested after an early morning attack that left a man with a broken jaw, broken ribs and requiring 27 stitches, the victim was 41-year-old Neil Potter, of Fullsbrook Road, Streatham, was assaulted in Madeira Road.

Councillor Best's son, Scott Richards, was also arrested after a police chase and remains in custody charged with grievous bodily harm. 

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Denis Bennett: Sexual Assault

Denis Bennett (Liberal Democrat)

Denis Bennett, 50, a married father of two who had served on St Austell Town Council, convicted of Sexual assault stood in the dock at Truro Crown Court to hear the verdict. The jury took an hour and fifteen minutes to find the supermarket worker guilty of one count of indecently assaulting the 18-year-old man.

Bennett had denied the allegation at Truro Crown Court, insisting he had merely been fooling around with the teenager, admitting only that he might have gone “over the top a bit”.

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Nathan Bale: Child Porn

Ex-Liberal Democrat councillor Nathan Bale

Nathan Bale has appeared in court to admit a string of child porn crimes.

Nathan Brett Bale, 31, resigned from Cornwall Council about three months ago citing ill health reasons.

Married Bale, of Penfound Gardens, Bude, attended Bodmin Magistrates’ Court to plead guilty to ten counts of making indecent photographs of children.

The charges he admits relate to between April 2003 to June 2011 and range from level one to level four on a scale of severity – level five is the most serious. Following the brief hearing, Bale was released on unconditional bail to return to Bodmin Magistrates on December 7.

Bale had served as shadow spokesman for adult care for the Liberal Democrat group on the council.

Until recently, he held the Bude North and Stratton seat for the Liberal Democrats for three years.

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David Parsons: Financial irregularities

Tory Councillor David Pearsons (Leicestershire County Council leader)

David Parsons has been accused of not promptly repaying money that he owed for trips to Europe, A county council report found debts were built up in 2007 but Mr Parsons has denied any wrongdoing.

A cross-party committee of councillors at the county council met on Monday to discuss a report into the allegations against Mr Parsons.

In addition to not promptly repaying travel expenses, the report raised concerns Mr Parsons frustrated the investigation by not giving permission for the inquiry to see details of the travel costs he claimed.

David Parsons (Leicestershire County Council leader) at one stage, owed debts of £5,400 built up and in one year, no repayments were made.

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Shelina Akhtar: Benefit Fraud

Councillor Shelina Akhtar (ex-labour)

Ex-Labour Councillor Shelina Akhtar (Tower hamlets) has been sacked* after being jailed for 16 weeks for benefit fraud, last month she admitted three counts of failing to notify a change of circumstances with regards to housing benefits for a rented property, the house she claimed benefits on was a rented property in her name.

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*Correction, she hasn't been sacked, she is still a councillor pending appeal Source

Paul Woodall: Assault

Councillor Paul Woodall (Kingswinford North)

Tory councillor Paul Woodall has pleaded guilty to assault after he threw a pudding bowl at his wife’s head during a meal-time row.

Paul Woodall’s wife Joanne was left with a one-inch cut to her forehead and blood pouring down her face after she spilled the bowl of food down him , Dudley Magistrates Court heard.

Magistrates granted Cllr Woodall unconditional bail and adjourned the case for sentencing until Thursday February 23.

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William O'Rourke: Vulgarity

William O'Rourke

Labour Councillor for Greater Pollok ward was suspended from the party pending investigation in March last year after allegedly asking during a council hearing if the child had “wanted it to happen”.

The remark is said to have been made while Councillor O'Rourke was chairing a disciplinary panel hearing into the case of a care worker who was sacked after being accused of raping the girl - a claim denied by the accused.

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Christopher Brown: Absence of duty

Christopher Brown

Liberal Democrat councillor Chris Brown, who represents Portchester East, has not attended a meeting since August 5. In that time he has received £3,230 which councillors are paid through their members’ allowances.

Yesterday the council confirmed that Cllr Brown, who had been a ward councillor since May 2010, had handed in a letter of resignation. A by-election will now take place.

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Mark Burton: Investigated for Possessing Child Pornography

Mark Burton

Mark Burton has been remanded in custody after being charged with two sexual offences.

Mark Burton was arrested only days after May's council elections and was charged with two offences, one against a child.

Councillor Burton was re-elected to serve the Harrowgate Hill ward on Darlington Borough Council for a second four-year term on May 5.

The 42-year-old Labour councillor was arrested three days later and charged with an offence of sexual assault and a second for sexual touching of a child.

He later appeared in front of magistrates in Newton Aycliffe, where he was remanded in custody until his next hearing on June 15. No pleas have yet been entered.

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Chris Huhne: Perverting the course of justice

Chris Huhne 

Chris Huhne has been charged with perverting the course of justice and will almost certainly have to step down from his position as energy and climate change secretary.

The matter dates back to allegations that he forced his now ex-wife Vicky Pryce to accept penalty points for a speeding offence on his behalf to dodge a ban in 2003.

Both Huhne and Pryce will face charges, the Crown Prosecution Service announced this morning, and will appear in court on 16 February.

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Tax evasion racket revealed

Clockwise from top left: Chris Pascoe, Sasha Gillard-Loft, Alex Folkes and Jan Powell 

The names of the four Cornwall councillors taken to court for failing to pay their council tax have finally been revealed.

Five months after the Packet first revealed the number of members missing payments, a succession of Freedom of Information requests and a trawl through magistrates courts records have brought the names into the public domain.

They are; *Councillor Chris Pascoe (Lib Dem, Threemilestone and Gloweth), taken to court in July 2011 for arrears of £1,805.31 *Councillor Sasha Gillard-Loft (Lib Dem, Launceston South), taken to court in March 2010 for arrears of £210 *Councillor Jan Powell (Lib Dem, Liskeard North), taken to court in August 2010 for arrears of £833.85.

*Councillor Alex Folkes (Lib Dem, Launceston Central), taken to court three times, the final time in July 2011 for arrears of £811.07.

Despite each being approached by the Packet in October and directly asked if they had ever faced legal action against them for council tax arrears, all four chose to offer no reply at the time.

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Bury councillor Bob Bibby, Corruption

 Conservative councillor Bob Bibby

Bury councillor Bob Bibby and another Conservative member were detained with three other men after a series of police raids on Tuesday.

He said he would continue as a councillor while the investigation took place, and will "fight in whatever way I have means to clear my name on this".

The men have been bailed until April.


Greater Manchester Police's Serious Crime Division executed warrants at addresses in Greater Manchester and Lancashire on Tuesday.

Officers also seized computers and documents from Bury Town Hall.

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Warren Bradley: Ex-liverpool leader faces charge of perjury

Warren Bradley

The former Liberal Democrat leader of Liverpool City Council has been summonsed to appear in court to face a charge of perjury.

Warren Bradley, 45, of Woodsorrell Road, Wavertree, stepped down as leader of the city's Liberal Democrat party last April over electoral fraud claims.

He will be charged under Section 5 of the Perjury Act which relates to false statutory declarations.

He is due to appear at Liverpool City Magistrates' Court on 9 March.

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