Sexual assault councillor suspended for three months

Former Tory councillor Alan Donnelly has resisted calls for him to resign since being found guilty in December.

4th Mar 2020

An Aberdeen councillor convicted of sexual assault has been given a three-month suspension from the local authority.

Former Scottish Conservative councillor Alan Donnelly has resisted calls to resign since being found guilty in December.

He’d denied touching and kissing a man who was working at an event in the city.

The 65-year-old former depute provost was ordered to pay his victim compensation and placed on the sex offenders’ register.

He’s since resigned from the Scottish Conservatives, does not sit on any committees and no longer attends civic events.

But he did vote at two council meetings earlier this week.

The Standards Commission said: “The panel determined that it was in the public interest to impose an interim suspension, to maintain public confidence in the ethical standards framework in Scotland.

“The panel considered that public confidence in the ethical standards framework would be adversely affected if Cllr Donnelly was allowed to continue to act while complaints of such a serious nature, involving criminal conduct, were outstanding against him.

“The panel further considered that the council’s reputation could be adversely affected if an interim suspension was not imposed.”

Cllr Donnelly will be suspended for three months with immediate effect while a full investigation is carried out.

Asked for his reaction Donnelly replied: “No comment”.