Argyll and Bute councillor suspended for claiming child was 'deviant'

A councillor who wrongly accused a teenager of attempting to spy on girls in a school changing room has been suspended for two months.

Alastair Redman, an independent member of Argyll and Bute Council, was found to have made “disrespectful and discriminatory” comments about the child during a phone call with an officer from the education department.

Councillor Redman stated that because the child cross-dressed, it was likely they put video recording equipment in the changing room and that people who cross-dressed were more likely to be “sexually deviant”.

At a Standards Commission for Scotland (SCS) hearing, it was heard that no evidence had been provided to show that the councillor’s claims were based on anything other than how he understood the child occasionally dressed.

Redman, who represents the Kintyre and the Islands ward, was reported to the standards committee in January 2023

He had contacted the education department after constituents contacted him about recording equipment being placed in a local school’s girls-only changing area.

The claims were investigated by police and found to be untrue.

A panel concluded that Redman had made the “unsubstantiated accusation on his own behalf” before the concerns from his constituents had been investigated.

It was found that his “inappropriate, offensive and intimidating behaviour” had the potential to make the child and their parents feel humiliated and insulted.

Ashleigh Dunn, Standards Commission member and chair of the hearing panel said: “The panel found that, during the telephone calls, councillor Redman effectively made a serious accusation on his own behalf (as opposed to just passing on what his constituents had allegedly told him), being both that the child had undertaken a potentially criminal act and was likely also ‘sexually deviant’.

“The panel was not provided with any evidence to show this accusation was based on anything other than how councillor Redman understood the child occasionally dressed.

“The panel considered that making such an accusation in the circumstances was disrespectful towards the child.”

The hearing’s findings continued: “The panel acknowledged that the respondent was entitled to his political views and, further, that he had every right to pass on concerns his constituents may have had to council officers.”

However, the panel raised concerns that Redman had gone beyond this by making “a serious, unfounded and gratuitous accusation of potential criminality” against the child because of how they may have occasionally dressed.

“The Panel was also concerned that councillor Redman had not shown any insight into the potential impact of his conduct, particularly on the child and their family,” the hearing found.

“It noted that he had not proffered any apology.”

Speaking to STV News, councillor Redman described the ruling as “politically motivated”.

He said: “I was elected to represent my constituents and relay their safeguarding concerns — yet I am being punished for doing exactly that. This is not justice; it is an attack on free speech and democracy.

“The so-called ‘investigation’ was biased from the outset. How can the Ethical Standards Commission claim impartiality when every member I have been in contact with includes pronouns in their email signatures?

“Their decision is not about upholding standards — it is about enforcing an ideology and punishing those who refuse to comply.

“This ruling exposes the two-tier system at play.”