Lord Hanningfield in jail - but still able to serve as a county councillor (From Essex County Standard)
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Lord Hanningfield in jail - but still able to serve as a county councillor
7:00pm Monday 4th July 2011 in News
Lord Hanningfield – locked up
LORD Hanningfield will continue to serve as a county councillor from his prison cell, Essex County Council has revealed.
Because the peer has lodged an appeal against his conviction, the authority has deemed he cannot be disqualified from his position as a ward councillor for Stock until that hearing has taken place.
The situation has been branded “absurd” by the TaxPayers’ Alliance.
Emma Boon, the group’s campaign director, said: “Essex County Council’s undue support for a convicted criminal shows its loyalty does not lie with the taxpayers it serves.
“It is absurd to have a county councillor serving from jail.”
Under British law, the cases of convicted criminals are considered reopened from the moment an appeal is lodged.
This means that, although he has started his ninth-month jail sentence, in the eyes of the law Lord Hanningfield could still be found innocent.
A county council spokesman said: “The sentence passed on Lord Hanningfield disqualifies him from being a member of the county council. However, this disqualification does not take effect until the time for making an appeal has elapsed or, if an appeal is made, disposed of.
“A by-election cannot be called until after disqualification has taken effect.”
Mike Mackrory, the deputy leader of the county council’s Liberal Democrat group, described the legal process as “unfortunate”.
He said: “That is the way our legal system works and we have to accept that.
“However, it is not good news for the people of Stock. I would hope the Conservatives would put other measures in place to ensure that ward does not go unrepresented.”
The peer, who has represented Stock since 1970, resigned the Conservative whip as soon as he was charged with false accounting.
He was also suspended from the Essex Conservatives group, meaning he will now technically serve as an independent councillor.
Julie Young, the council’s Labour group leader, said: “I would be concerned Stock will not be represented. If that is the way the law works, it should be changed.”
Comments(29)
BlueJay
says...
8:52pm Mon 4 Jul 11
kris1062
says...
2:54am Tue 5 Jul 11
But still he can hold on to his job?
A. That is not fair! Any other person would loose his/her job.
B. The man is a criminal and should never be able to sit in office again. For these are people that we trusted, and he betrayed that trust 100%.
If any other person that has done bird, was to come back out. They would have an almost imposible time getting a job.
So then how in the world should this criminal differ from the rest?
thedecorator
says...
7:37am Tue 5 Jul 11
Sdapeze
says...
9:12am Tue 5 Jul 11
Arthur Fonzarelli
says...
9:46am Tue 5 Jul 11
camusa
says...
10:13am Tue 5 Jul 11
wormshero
says...
11:41am Tue 5 Jul 11
totallyfootball
says...
11:55am Tue 5 Jul 11
wormshero wrote:Yeah but I can't see it catching on can you? They are just like FIFA they look after their own and cover each others back because if anything gets out they could all be out.
A criminal councillor? What a novel idea!
Mudlark1
says...
1:23pm Tue 5 Jul 11
wormshero wrote:I think thats where the CON in Conservative comes in!!! Or in Hanningfields case ex CONservative!! lol
A criminal councillor? What a novel idea!
timmus
says...
1:48pm Tue 5 Jul 11
wormshero
says...
1:58pm Tue 5 Jul 11
Mudlark1
says...
1:59pm Tue 5 Jul 11
timmus wrote:Its like I have said, the Conservatives are not called CONs for nothing...lol
So his imprisonment is just a token gesture, in a few months he will be back to his old tricks....what a joke.
Mudlark1
says...
2:01pm Tue 5 Jul 11
wormshero wrote:Tis true wormshero, but I assumed by the time this article had finished he would be out.... lol He'll do less then 6 months....
Mudlark, surely he's only an ex-con once out of prison? But i laughed anyway.
skipperst
says...
2:12pm Tue 5 Jul 11
is the fact he saw no remorse in his actions, saying, "everyone else is doing it too"
If we took his statement as a true record,
where will the axe fall next?
more on this saga soon I guess..
Mudlark1
says...
2:35pm Tue 5 Jul 11
skipperst wrote:The differene being skipperst and the real issue here is, he was leader of the Tory Council and the leader of those he claims is/was doing it to.
The thing that gets me, is the fact he saw no remorse in his actions, saying, "everyone else is doing it too" If we took his statement as a true record, where will the axe fall next? more on this saga soon I guess..
In practice he should have known better rather then turn a blind eye just so he could try and get away with it himself.
If when he does get out and decides to practice as Councillor again then more fool those who vote for him..
el caballero de la noche
says...
2:38pm Tue 5 Jul 11
Mudlark1
says...
2:47pm Tue 5 Jul 11
el caballero de la noche wrote:You got the name of his new book wrong Cabby, its called "I like it up em 2" LOL....
Good news perhaps if he reads this from his deck chair in Ford Open Prison (after reading Lord Archers graffiti on the bog wall) I wonder if he can confirm that all the libraries will get a copy of his new book 'They don't like it up em' which is similar to Lord Archers 'I like it up em'
adolf jones
says...
3:22pm Tue 5 Jul 11
lets hope this appauling miscarriage of justice is overturned so that you can return to the fine job you have done for so many years serving the people of essex
tepluap
says...
3:50pm Tue 5 Jul 11
liberace
says...
4:43pm Tue 5 Jul 11
jut1972
says...
6:53pm Tue 5 Jul 11
This isn't surprising. ECC don't have the balls to break away from their HR masters in case the convicted criminal wins an appeal. As the appeal will take a while and may never be heard he wont even have to clear his name to return to so called work.
Mudlark1
says...
8:59pm Tue 5 Jul 11
liberace wrote:I always hated riding, I leave that to my daughter who happens to own 3 horses.
Mudlark1 - get off your horse about the CON in Tory cr@p. The biggest robbers over the last 15 years were Labour robbing from the taxpayers to give to those who never have or have no intentionof doing so. Suppose you forget that though as you sit there claiming benefits in your council house with your 15 children by 10 different partners.
Nope I never forgot anything, I was very successfull in my chosen field and was able to retire at the ripe old age of 44 and never once asked for a handout, nor do I live in a Council house, not that I see this as being a bad thing, but my 5 bed detatched with games room and double garage has always served me well.
The FACT of the matter still remains that Hanningfield got caught thieving from ME the tax payer and deserves everything he gets. If you dont like it bud TOUGH SH*T.. :) And if your one of those idiots brain dead enough to vote for a CONvict then you deserve everything you get.. FACT!!
soul man
says...
9:00pm Tue 5 Jul 11
Mudlark1
says...
9:06pm Tue 5 Jul 11
soul man wrote:LOL!!!
you lose all liberty going to jail no?, not in this fat crooks case, the conservatives certainly look after the CONS alright
kris1062
says...
9:22pm Wed 6 Jul 11
These brain dead people that can't see what is going on here, are the ones that should keep quiet.
For these are no better than the cons that are running this backward country.
They all sit there saying that it was Labour that are to blame. But it goes way back further than that. They just got the mess from the CONservative government before.
Hanningfield is a con man that when he gets out, he should go to a halfway house, report to the probation services.
And he too must write on his CV. and application forms for a cleaning job or something so low. That he is an ex Con that that got caught steeling.
All his wealth that he has built up and stored somewhere safe, should be put up for public auction, and the proceeds go into something good. Hanningfield should have nothing when he comes out! Well just the shirt on his back. Cause he should get treated for what he is. A thief!
Nebs
says...
9:01am Thu 7 Jul 11
kris1062
says...
9:14am Thu 7 Jul 11
It is a fact that. This lying theiving rymes with truck, got caught, is inside where he should be.
As soon as these idiots get.caught, they always put on this act of being sick. It is just a ploy to stay out of jail, or to get special treatment. All he should get is, a steve or a gus. He should get his reward.
In my eyes, he is no longer in the council.
If the council take him back, they are just laughing in our faces.
One rule for them, plus all our money, and one rule for the rest of us.
pin4apple
says...
4:47pm Thu 7 Jul 11
I do think hes a silly man, given his age and respect he probably had. Hes shot himself in the foot.
snoswad says...
8:15pm Mon 4 Jul 11