Councillor suspended ‘for remarks’
ACOUNCILLOR has been suspended after allegedly telling taxi drivers that the victim of a domestic murder had deserved to be killed.
Sheila Marston has been suspended from Neath Town Council for four months after an investigation by the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.
In a statement, Ombudsman Nick Bennett said that the allegation against the Mount Pleasant councillor was that “a Neath resident deserved to be murdered”.
He said: “The investigation found that Councillor Marston’s unsolicited comments about the victim were both disrespectful and distasteful.”
He added that “many... of the citizens of Neath... believe that Councillor Marston is no longer a suitable representative”.
The family of murdered Terrie-Ann Jones, who was stabbed 26 times by her ex-boyfriend, said she was the person Councillor Marston had been speaking about.
Councillor Marston lived near the murder victim in Talbot Road in Neath, and Terrie-Ann’s sister said they had fallen out over an “overgrown garden bush”.
A taxi driver, Edward Vaughan John, told the Western Mail he had reported Councillor Marston after she made the comments to him when he gave her a lift home.
Mr John, 57, said: “Upon arrival to her home Councillor Marston pointed out flowers that had been left at TerrieAnn’s in sympathy.
“Councillor Marston had a bee in her bonnet about her, I just ignored her
comments until she said to myself that Terrie-Anne deserved to be murdered.
“After that remark I felt it my duty as a close friend to report Councillor Marston to the local authority.”
He added: “I then found out that Councillor Marston had said the same thing to other drivers.”
Councillor Marston has been suspended four months after a meeting of the Standards Committee of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. She did not appeal against the decision, despite having 21 days to do so.
In his statement, Public Services Ombudsman Mr Bennett said: “In view of the effect of Councillor Marston’s comments on the citizens of Neath Town Council, many of whom believe that Councillor Marston is no longer a suitable representative, and the effect on the reputation of the town council itself, the Ombudsman concluded that Councillor Marston may have breached paragraph 6(1)(a) of the Code of Conduct.”
Mr Bennett said he had referred the matter to Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council.
Michael Shaw, deputy monitoring officer for Neath Port Talbot Council, said: “The Standards Committee concluded that town councillor Sheila Marston was in breach of the code of conduct for elected members of Neath Town Council, finding that her conduct brought herself and her town council into disrepute.”
Councillor Marston refused to comment when approached.