Cllr Ahmed fracas?

Just seen a newspaper clip in "another place". The saga rolls on.

Hinch wrote:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wRHBLwpASw&feature=youtu.be

Hinch: -    Just spotted you in there in a cameo ... black Homburg hat, plumb-coloured dicky bow.    ♫ 

Unless the rules have changed, there is no problem with a councillor having a criminal record or being suspended from his party, he can continue in office.

cyfrifia wrote:Unless the rules have changed, there is no problem with a councillor having a criminal record or being suspended from his party, he can continue in office.

  What rule book did that premise come from ?  Perhaps you were lecturing somewhere else when we had the Murtaza scandal here nine years ago ...

Rochdale Labour Councillor Gholam Murtaza – Convicted and jailed for 6 months in 1998 for Assault and Affray, after attacking two women police officers with a knife.

Murtaza  won his seat on the council illegally in 2003, as his criminal record disqualified him from standing in the first place, according to British electoral law.

Potential candidates are furthermore barred from standing in local elections if they have received a prison sentence of three months or more, without the option of a fine, up to five years before the poll.

The Labour Party claimed he had concealed his past from them at the time of his selection as a candidate. However, the local Labour MP, Jim Dobbin, received a letter at the time from the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, David Wilmot, giving full details of Councillor Murtaza’s conviction, and Murtaza himself said: “People in the party were aware of my conviction while I was in prison. I told Heywood and Middleton MP Jim Dobbin at that time because I was fighting my conviction. The local Labour Party was fully aware of my conviction. I declared it at my interview, and on my application form”. Labour lost council control after his enforced resignation in 2005 - report - Rochdale Ob .  

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/local-news/did-labour-chiefs-know-1100168

Someone standing for election as councillor can have a criminal record as long as your arm, even if they have paid massive fines, if they have not been jailed for more than a three month stretch within the last five years. It would have to be a pretty serious crime to get that sort of jail sentence. Even then, if they fail to declare it and no-one sets up a complicated process within 21 days, they can remain in office. Whether we approve or not, generally speaking, a criminal record or criminal charge may cause problems, but does not bar a person from being a councillor or from politics. Presumably things are arranged that way to prevent politicians attacking each other with criminal law?

Councillor Farooq Ahmed found guilty of section 4 public order offence

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news-headlines/87632/councillor-farooq-ahmed-found-guilty-of-section-4-public-order-offence

A simple " no impunity " comment springs to mind.

The GMP also used to describe homophobic abuse as a hate crime, anyone know when that was changed 

   

The charge of homophobic abuse was dropped (apparently very rapidly).  This is a simple section 4 public order offence.

Obviously the man leads a charmed life. The real point is - is he affective as a councilor and does he do a good job for the community he represents? Nobody's perfect. Only Big Cyril - opps