Labour Councillor Matt Fry Suspended as Fraud Investigation Begins

Matt Fry - Labour

A LABOUR councillor has been suspended amid allegations of fraud.

Matt Fry, Stoke-on-Trent City Council member for Weston Coyney has been suspended from his post with immediate effect after a police investigation began.

The Sentinel understands the inquiry is focussing on Mr Fry’s handling of public money.

A spokesman for Staffordshire Police said: “We have received an allegation of fraud which we are currently investigating.

“No one has been arrested at this stage.”

Mr Fry, aged 31, who has sat on various council committees including the Staffordshire Fire Authority, was not available for comment last night.

The Stoke-on-Trent Labour Group refused to comment on the nature of the allegations, releasing a statement only to confirm Mr Fry had been suspended.

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Deputy Mayor John Johnson - Child images

John Johnson - Labour

A former deputy mayor of Peterborough has appeared in court accused of downloading a large amount of “extreme” child pornography.

John Johnson (62), of Deerleap, Bretton, who was deputy mayor between 1999 and 2000 appeared at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday.

Johnson, who was a Labour councillor for North Bretton between May 1995 and January 2001, has been charged with making 714 indecent images of children.

He is accused of downloading six level-five images of a child, which is the most extreme level of pornography in legal classification terms.

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Imdad Hussain - Failure to disclose

Imdad Hussain - Labour

Bradford Councillor Imdad Hussain has been suspended for two years by the Labour Party after it found he failed to disclose he had been banned as a company director.

An investigation by the party at a national level has concluded he breached party rules.

Coun Hussain will not now be allowed to stand as a Labour candidate when his seat on Bradford Council comes up for re-election in 2014. The 42-year-old councillor continues to sit as an independent in the Heaton ward.

Coun Hussain was disqualified as a company director for seven years after his company went into liquidation last year. Earlier this year he was suspended by the Labour Party while national party officials began an investigation into his business dealings.

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