This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/5385132.stm
The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Ex-DUP mayor admits vote fraud | Ex-DUP mayor admits vote fraud |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A former DUP mayor of Coleraine has pleaded guilty to six charges of electoral fraud. | A former DUP mayor of Coleraine has pleaded guilty to six charges of electoral fraud. |
| Dessie Stewart, who had originally denied the charges, will be sentenced on 24 October. | Dessie Stewart, who had originally denied the charges, will be sentenced on 24 October. |
| The charges relate to the last general and local government elections which were held on the same day in May 2005. | The charges relate to the last general and local government elections which were held on the same day in May 2005. |
| He admitted four counts of pretending to be someone else in order to cast postal votes, and two of fraudulently stopping free exercise of a proxy vote. | He admitted four counts of pretending to be someone else in order to cast postal votes, and two of fraudulently stopping free exercise of a proxy vote. |
| A councillor since 1989, Stewart was re-elected to council with 773 votes in The Skerries area which includes his home town of Portrush. | |
| Sinn Fein and the SDLP have both called for Stewart to resign from the council. | |
| 'Huge embarrassment' | |
| Sinn Fein councillor Billy Leonard said he could no longer operate as an elected representative. | |
| "This exposes the DUP's hypocrisy of trying to lecture others on democracy and a host of other issues. | |
| "Dessie Stewart has admitted that he pretended to be someone else just to get some more votes. | |
| "He has totally contradicted the whole idea of people entrusting their democratic vote and I think he is now totally compromised." | |
| John Dallat of the SDLP said the case "must come as a huge embarrassment to the DUP". | |
| "In the complaints made to me, I know that one elderly lady was distraught that her vote was used to promote the aims and objectives of a party which she feels has made a huge contribution to the negative politics which she has lived through. | |
| "Councillor Stewart's replacement should go to the candidate who was runner-up in the council elections and most certainly not to the DUP." |