A councillor has been suspended from Maldon District Council for five months after he rugby-tackled a colleague to the floor and threatened to "punch his head in".

A Standards Board for England adjudication panel yesterday ruled that William Prior brought the council into disrepute and breached the official code of conduct after getting involved in an altercation with county councillor and fellow Conservative Party member Brian Mead.

David Abrahams, principal legal adviser for the Standards Board, laid out the "undisputed facts of the case" saying the "heated argument" began after a meeting of the Maldon and East Chelmsford Conservative Association on September 26, 2003, when Mr Prior approached Mr Mead and accused him of spreading rumours.

When Mr Mead left the meeting at the Swan Hotel in Maldon High Street, Mr Prior followed him and although the sequence of events that followed was in dispute, they both agreed Mr Mead was rugby-tackled to the floor, Mr Abrahams said.

The tribunal found that Cllr Prior had breached Paragraph 4 of Maldon District Council's code of conduct and had brought his office into disrepute.

Mr Prior described the events as totally out of character.

"It hasn't happened before or since. I was stressed and overworked and my judgement did fail me," he said.

The chairman told Mr Prior he had the right to appeal to the High Court but said notice of appeal must be lodged within 28 days.

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Published Thursday, January 13, 2005

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