Conservative Councillor - Sex charges

A Canterbury city councillor has been remanded in custody on serious sex charges against children.

Conservative Martin Fisher, 60, is accused of indecent assault, sexual touching and making and possessing indecent images of children.

The charges relate to two victims under the age of 16 and another aged over 18.

The offences are alleged to have occurred between 1982 and 2010.

Married Fisher, who has represented Tankerton Ward since 1995, was arrested during an early morning raid at his house in Queens Road, Whitstable on Thursday, April 8.

He was questioned at Canterbury police station and remanded in custody after appearing at Dover Magistrates Court on Saturday morning.

He withheld his plea and is due to appear in court again on Friday, April 16.

The insurance writer – who is believed to have four grown-up sons – sits on the council’s audit committee and general purposes committee.

He has been suspended by the Conservatives both in Canterbury and nationally.

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Conservative councillor - Electoral Fraud

A CONSERVATIVE councillor has been suspended and is due in court next month to face allegations of electoral fraud during the May 2008 elections.

The West Midlands Conservative Party confirmed that Palfrey ward Cllr Mohammed Munir was suspended yesterday (Wednesday).

Party press officer Gareth Parry-Jones said: "We understand Cllr Munir has been charged with electoral fraud, so he has been suspended by the Conservative party."

Cllr Munir, aged 57, was first elected to represent the Palfrey Ward in June 2004, but lost his seat to Labour's Mohammad Nazir in 2006.

The Thorpe Road resident stood again for the second Palfrey seat in May 2008 and was successful, securing 134 more votes than Labour candidate Allah Ditta.

West Midlands Police confirmed yesterday that a 57-year-old man had been charged, along with another 30-year-old man.

A Police statement said: "The Director of Public prosecutions has given authorisation for legal proceedings to commence against two men for offences of providing false information to the register of elections and falsely applying for proxy votes. The men aged 57 and 30 years and from Walsall were arrested in January 2009. The investigation relates to irregularities in the May 2008 Walsall Council elections.

"Birmingham Magistrates Court has been informed and legal proceedings have commenced. Both men are scheduled to appear at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Friday, May 21."

Walsall Council Chief Executive Paul Sheehan said: "These matters are still subject to a judicial process and therefore we cannot comment any further."

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Labour Councillor - Benefit Fraud

A Bristol city councillor has been convicted of falsely claiming more than £3,500 in benefits.

Simon Crew, who represents Brislington East, was paid a carer's allowance for looking after his sick mother, a court heard.

But after he was elected as a Labour councillor in May 2007 he failed to tell the Department of Work and Pensions about his new role, allowances for which pushed his earnings beyond the threshold that entitled him to claim a carer's allowance.

The amount wrongly claimed totalled more than £3,550 between May 28, 2007, and October 12, 2008, North Somerset Magistrates Court heard yesterday.

Crew, of Eastwood Road, St Anne's, was convicted of failing to notify a change of circumstances affecting his entitlement to benefit and ordered to pay £1,400 in fines and costs. He has already paid back the money wrongly claimed.

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Lib Dem Councillor - Fraud

STEPHEN Sharp has stood down from public life with immediate effect — five months after being convicted of fraud.
In a letter dated March 3, Mr Sharp resigned as a councillor on New Mills Town Council and High Peak Borough Council.

The trainee train driver has quit the roles because of work commitments.

He said: "I have decided, with great regret, to stand down as the councillor for New Mills West, on both High Peak Borough and New Mills Town Councils, with immediate effect.

"A daily commute to Leeds, and my current work commitments throughout the North West, make it impossible to meet the demands of regular council and attend meetings."

Mr Sharp stood down as the Liberal Democrats' Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the High Peak, before admitting eight counts of fraud and being sentenced to community service last October.

He faced continued calls to leave public life and stand down as a councillor on both authorities.

Now he has, there will be by-elections to fill the roles on the two councils.

These are expected to be held at the same time as the general election, which is believed to take place on May 6.

The posts are being advertised on the notice board at New Mills Town Council.

Mr Sharp explained: "I have waited till near the general election so the by-elections can run concurrently with it, thus saving council tax payers the cost of another election."

He added: "It has been a privilege to serve the electorate of New Mills and High Peak."

Mr Sharp went on to thank colleagues for showing support over the past five years.

Cllr Alistair Stevens was selected as the Liberal Democrats' Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the High Peak in February.

Three weeks ago, he refused to comment about Mr Sharp, when we asked: "Should he stand down from public life?"

Mr Stevens replied: "I'm here to talk about policies. As far as we're concerned, that's history. That's not a real issue."

He added: "I think this has been done to death in the press. We've moved on, they should move on a bit as well."

But since then, the Advertiser received letters from readers who raised questions over the issue.

Mr Stevens did not want to issue a statement, regarding the resignation of Mr Sharp, calling it a personal matter for him.

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Labour Councillor - Drugs and Money Laundering

Former Preston Council deputy leader Frank McGrath

Frank McGrath, 59, was convicted of nine counts of concealing criminal funds for Silvano Turchet, 55, who is currently serving 15 years for the importation of Class A drugs.

The ex-Labour councillor, of Belton Hill, Fulwood, laundered more than £300,000 for Turchet, Manchester Crown Court heard.

The money was used to purchase a house in Wrexham, bought for £116,000 in December 2004, a hangar where Turchet stored an aeroplane used to import drugs, and a £17,000 designer watch.

McGrath also transferred £154,000 to an Italian bank account, the court heard.

Turchet pleaded guilty to nine counts of transferring criminal property at the beginning of the trial.

Ian Cruxton, deputy director of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), said: ''Frank McGrath made a living on the back of serious organised crime, and anyone who abuses their professional position to prop up criminal activity as he did can expect us to come after them too.''

Andrew Penhale, of the Crown Prosecution Service's Organised Crime Division, said: ''The case illustrates our determination not only to prosecute those criminals engaged directly in organised crime, but also the soft under-belly - those apparently legitimate businesses that facilitate and support organised crime in the background.''

McGrath was remanded in custody for sentencing on March 3 for the crime, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.

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