MAYOR OF HARWICH ACCUSED OF MALICIOUS ALLEGATION
The Mayor of Harwich, Councillor David Rutson, has been accused of making a malicious allegation against a fellow councillor.
In January 2008 Councillor Rutson submitted a complaint to the Standards Board for England alleging ‘violent and abusive language and attempted assault’. He submitted four witness statements to support his allegation, all referring to a physical assault by Councillor Ian Beckett on Councillor Rutson.
On 22nd May, during an interview with the investigating solicitor, Mr Patrick Dempsey, Councillor Rutson finally had to admit that no such assault had taken place.
Councillor Ian Beckett, the victim of this extremely serious false allegation, now intends to submit a formal complaint to the Standards Board for England on the grounds of malicious allegation.
Councillor Ian Beckett says:
“I have spent the last few days talking to my family, friends and colleagues and they all tell me that they would not wish to see anyone else go through what I have been through. Now that I have been totally exonerated we all feel that Councillor Rutson should account for his actions. He submitted four witness statements knowing them to be untrue and only came clean four months later when being questioned by the investigating solicitor. No one deserves to be treated like that.”
The four witness statements submitted by Councillor Rutson were provided to him by Conservative councillors Charles Sambridge, Peter Halliday, Michael Skeels and Sarah Candy and it is Ian Beckett’s intention to submit complaints against each of these councillors as well.
Councillor Sambridge’s witness statement states that Ian Beckett ‘physically pushed you and sent you staggering.’
Councillor Halliday states that he witnessed ‘aggressive jostling’.
Councillor Skeels states that Ian Beckett ‘pushed him on his left shoulder in an aggressive manner’.
Councillor Candy states ‘Whilst in the Chairman’s Parlour other councillors were discussing how appalling Councillor Beckett’s behaviour had been and that he had pushed and/or punched Councillor Rutson.’
In his interview with the investigating solicitor, Patrick Dempsey, Councillor Rutson finally admitted that Councillor Beckett ‘did not touch me’. This being the case, three councillors claim to have witnessed an assault that had not taken place and a fourth claimed to have heard councillors discussing an assault that had not taken place.
“These are signed witness statements submitted by Councillor Rutson to support a complaint form signed by him,” continued Ian Beckett. “He cannot hide from what he has done and it is now time for him to account for it.”
The documents referred to in this statement can be viewed on Tendring District Council’s web site at http://www.tendringdc.gov.uk/