Labour - Council ban for former city mayor

At least 70,000 "graphic" images were found on one computer

A former leader of Swansea Council has been banned from becoming a councillor for two-and-a-half years after indecent images were found on his computers.

Lawrence Bailey, 52, was found to have breached codes of conduct by the Adjudication Panel for Wales.

It also found he had broken rules by writing to a local newspaper using false names.

Last year Mr Bailey was cleared of any criminal activity over the pictures found on council-issued computers.

A former Lord Mayor of the city, he was arrested after his computer was sent to the council's repairs department.

He faced a three-month investigation before being told by the Crown Prosecution Service that no proceedings would be pursued.

He resigned as a councillor on Swansea Council in May 2007.

The adjudication panel's report found that three separate computers used by Mr Bailey held indecent images.

Council engineers discovered 6,000 adult images on one laptop's hard-drive.

In some cases the addresses did not exist or the postcodes did not match them, or the true residents had no knowledge of the letters. Adjudication panel findings on letters to the press

It was replaced, but in 2005 several thousand more pornographic items were discovered on the same machine.

Another computer used by Mr Bailey was discovered to hold at least 70,000 graphic images, of which half were described as "adult hard-core pornography".

The third computer, also a laptop machine, also held indecent pictures.

But the panel also found it contained 253 documents, mostly letters to the Swansea Evening Post.

"Although the police examination showed Mr Bailey as being the author, the documents purported to have originated from various residents of Swansea," stated the report.

"In some cases the addresses did not exist or the postcodes did not match them, or the true residents had no knowledge of the letters."

"Widespread practice"

In his own submission to the panel, Mr Bailey claimed that writing letters to the press under pseudonyms "was widespread practice in political life in Wales".

Publishing its decision, the adjudication panel accepted that Mr Bailey himself admitted misusing computer equipment supplied by the council, and had brought the office of councillor into disrepute.

But banning him from standing as a councillor anywhere in Wales for two-and-a-half years, the panel noted a series of what it described as "aggravating features".

These included the persistent downloading of images over five years, failure to heed advice given on two occasions about his conduct, and the "serious undermining of public confidence" by his actions.

Swansea Council has declined to comment on the panel's decision.

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Labour councillor Denies Paying Teenager For Sex

A 62-YEAR-OLD former councillor sat in the witness box yesterday and denied paying a teenage girl for sex.

Richard Manser's alleged sex partner, Joanne McKenna, now 20, is on trial accused of robbing him at knifepoint.

Manser denies giving McKenna cash for sex for three years, starting when she was 16.

The ex-Labour councillor, who quit after the scandal, insisted he did not admit to prosecutors in the case that he had a sexual relationship with the young woman.

And he compared his friendship with McKenna to the relationship between Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle in George Bernard Shaw's famous play Pygmalion.

In the play, Higgins turns street urchin Eliza into a fine lady by teaching her to speak properly.

Asked by McKenna's advocate why a man of 60 would have a relationship with a teenage girl, Manser replied: "I hesitate to mention the name of George Bernard Shaw but there was a bit of Pygmalion involved.

"I am no Henry Higgins and she is no Eliza Doolittle but she was a waif and needed a father figure. I was quite happy to help her."

McKenna, her dad and her then boyfriend deny attacking Manser with a Bowie knife and a Samurai sword and putting him through a two-hour ordeal at his home in Paisley near Glasgow.

Prosecutors claim the trio stole Manser's bank card and McKenna used it to withdraw £600.

Manser told the High Court in Glasgow that McKenna was "a friend and a nuisance" who was always pestering him for cash for cigarettes.

He said she came to his flat on the night of the attack, asked for money, then went to buy cigarettes.

Manser said McKenna then burst back into his home with her father Thomas McKenna and a man he didn't recognise.

He claimed Thomas McKenna was brandishing a Bowie knife and the other man had a Samurai sword.

Manser said that in the two hours that followed, Thomas McKenna hit him on the head with the Bowie knife and guided a kitchen knife in his daughter's hand to "dig" it into the side of his face.

He said his wrists were bound with plastic ties and a sponge was put in his mouth and held with tape.

Manser claimed Joanne McKenna left the flat with his bank card. He said Thomas McKenna told him that if she came back empty handed, he was dead.

Manser quit Renfrewshire Council and the Labour Party after Joanne McKenna spoke to a paper about their alleged relationship.

McKenna's counsel, Sarah Livingstone, accused him of falsely accusing her client of the attack and telling police "a pack of lies" to get back at her. He replied: "I emphatically deny that."

Manser admitted owning porn videos but denied showing them to Joanne McKenna. He also denied asking to film her as she took part in unnatural sexual activity with him.

The witness told Miss Livingstone he quit the council to get a redundancy deal and left the Labour Party because he did not agree with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

But after the judge warned him that he had to answer the questions, he admitted the party suspended him after a complaint from Joanne McKenna, and he resigned.

Manser said he was "completely exonerated" by the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

Joanne McKenna, Thomas McKenna, 40, and Joanne's then boyfriend Michael Collins, 25, deny forcing their way into Manser's flat on December 7 last year, detaining him against his will, assaulting him to his severe injury and robbing him of his bank card. Joanne McKenna also denies using the card. The trial continues.

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Tags: Labour, pornography, Sex

Conservative Councillor charged with sex assaults

Ben Redsell

A SUFFOLK county councillor has been charged with a string of sex assaults.

Suffolk police said today that Ben Redsell, a county, district and town councillor for Woodbridge, will appear in court in Ipswich on December 3.

He has been charged with two counts of sexual assault, two of indecent assault, three counts of possession of indecent images of children, seven counts of making indecent images of children and four counts of theft.

Redsell, 28, of Melton Meadow Road, Melton, has been charged with one count of sexual assault by penetration, one of sexual assault by touching and two historic offences of indecent assault on a female under 16 years, plus the indecent image and theft charges.

Redsell is also deputy mayor of Woodbridge.

UPDATE 1 Jul 08

A SUFFOLK county councillor's career has been left in tatters after he pleaded guilty to a sex assault and a string of child pornography offences - despite previously maintaining his innocence.

Ben Redsell, 28, of Melton, near Woodbridge, admitted sexual assaulting a 19-year-old woman, seven counts of making indecent pictures of children and three counts of possessing indecent pictures of children.

The town, district and county councillor for Woodbridge had previously pleaded not guilty to the offences and in November said: “I maintain my innocence and I will be fighting all these charges.”

But standing in the dock at Norwich Crown Court yesterday,Redsell pleaded guilty to each of the 11 counts read out to him.

He admitted sexually assaulting a 19-year-old woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, at her home on August 24 last year following a night out at The Hippodrome in Colchester.

Following his arrest, police searched Redsell's home in Melton Meadow Road, where he lives with his mother.

Officers found indecent images of children on his computer and yesterdayhe pleaded guilty to seven counts of making indecent pictures of children dating from January 1, 2000, to August 26, 2007.

He also pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing indecent images of children, which police found in his bedroom, for the same period.

Judge Simon Barham told Redsell, who was elected as a Conservative county councillor, that he would be sentenced on August 1 - the day after his 29th birthday - and ordered him to sign the sex offenders' register.

Judge Barham added: “Do not assume that because you are on bail now you will not get a custodial sentence later.”

Before attending court yesterdayRedsell resigned from his positions at Suffolk County Council, Suffolk Coastal District Council and Woodbridge Town Council.

In a letter to the district council, Redsell said: “It has been an honour to serve the people of Woodbridge as their councillor for the last year and I am very sorry to be leaving in this way.”

Speaking after the case, Les Binns, the mayor of Woodbridge, said: “I think it is a sad event and very unfortunate. Some people in the town are feeling let down and the council itself feels let down. He was a lad with some promise which he has given up. Until today people were asking what was happening to him and said that they missed him because he did a lot of good work for the town. But I am sure that now he has pleaded guilty there may well be a different attitude. People are all shocked and dismayed.”

Redsell, a former pupil of Farlingaye High School and Woodbridge School, was elected to Suffolk County Council at a by-election in 2004, becoming the youngest member of the authority.

He was elected to the district council in May last year, as the councillor for Woodbridge Riverside ward.

He held numerous positions at all three tiers of local government, including membership of Suffolk Police Authority. He was also the Conservative agent in Ipswich before the 2005 General Election.

Redsell resigned from the Conservative Party in November after he was charged with the offences to “save them any further embarrassment” but continued to act as an independent councillor.

Suffolk police's Detective Inspector Steve Clabburn said: “These are serious offences and we are pleased he has pleaded guilty, which has spared the victim the ordeal of having to face him in court.

“The guilty plea was made in light of the evidence gathered by officers and we will await the sentencing.”

A Suffolk County Council spokesman would only comment by confirming that Redsell resigned from the council at 2pm yesterday.

There will now be two by-elections to fill his seat for the county council and district council, although it is not yet known when these will take place.

Redsell declined to comment yesterday.

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Lib Dems remove whip from accused councillor

A LIBERAL Democrat councillor who is accused of assaulting his wife has had the party whip withdrawn.

Imran Abrahim, member for Forest ward since last May, will not undertake in any public duties on behalf of the party.

The 31-year-old was arrested at his home in Knotts Green Road, Leyton, on Sunday and later charged with common assault.

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He pleaded not guilty during a hearing at Waltham Forest Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

The community vice chair of the finance overview and scrutiny committee will stand trial on January 28 at the same court before a district judge.

Another 31-year-old arrested in connection with the incident has been released on bail pending further inquiries.

5:48pm Thursday 22nd November 2007

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Conservative - Councillor in expenses inquiry

A DISGRACED councillor resigned yesterday after continuing to claim thousands of pounds of tax payers’ money despite not attending a meeting for over six months.

Cllr Steven Woolfe quit Conwy County Council after claiming an estimated £20,000 in allowances, despite not attending council since March.

Cllr Woolfe, a Conservative councillor for Colwyn Bay’s Rhiw ward, was last spotted at the community safety meeting on March 23. Last year he claimed over £13,000 of his allowance, and has continued to claim in the six and a half months since his last appearance at Bodlondeb.

But the 39-year-old sensationally quit yesterday after pressure from within the Tory camp. Conwy County Council was awaiting a written response to inquiries into his situation and said it would now carry out an investigation.

A spokeswoman commented: “By law, if a councillor doesn’t attend a relevant council meeting within a six-month period their seat is vacated and an election called to fill the vacancy.

“We are investigating these provisions, but no conclusion has been reached yet. The position is likely to be clarified early next week.”

Local Conservative leader Cllr Keith Toy admitted Cllr Woolfe had continued to claim his allowances, adding: “It’s not good enough and I think he’s let the people of Colwyn Bay down.”

The Manchester-born councillor won a by-election in March 2006 and pledged to help transform the Bay, which he claimed was perceived as dirty and unsafe.

Cllr Woolfe is a member of the council’s audit committee as well as the environmental and community wellbeing scrutiny committees.

Fellow Colwyn Bay member Bob Squire was furious that much needed funds had lined Cllr Woolfe’s pockets while other projects went without.

“The money could have been used in the community, so much is required in that ward, there are lots of worthy causes,” he said. “There are an awful lot of problems and the money could be better spent.”

The Weekly News was unable to contact Cllr Woolfe this week, but would welcome contact from him.

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