By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter
A councillor who suggested an alleged rape victim was “likely” a sex worker has been expelled from the Conservative Party.
Councillor Shaun Slator, Independent (previously Conservative) councillor for St Mary Cray ward in Bromley, has been expelled from the Conservative Party.
Cllr Slator was previously suspended by the Bromley Conservative group in January after replying to a tweet from a news organisation reporting an alleged rape in Plumstead park.
In his reply, which has since been deleted, Cllr Slator wrote: “More likely that it’s a punter that didn’t pay.”
Bromley council investigated the matter after receiving 18 complaints, but decided not to punish Cllr Slator as he was not acting in his capacity as a councillor at the time.
An independent investigator said they were “agonised” about their conclusion, and the matter would be better dealt with by the Conservative Party.
Cllr Slator apologised for his comments at a Bromley council meeting on February 27, saying he had meant to draw attention to the issue of women being exploited in the area.
He said at the meeting: “I’m not ashamed to admit that I am fallible, and I have made a mistake. I now understand that with the privilege afforded to me as a councillor to better serve my community, comes a responsibility to reflect more deeply on what I say and post online.”
At the meeting, council leader Colin Smith put forward an amendment to a motion to condemn Cllr Slator’s comments.
The council leader said he would allow him to rejoin the Bromley Conservative group after attending appropriate training.
Bromley council voted to pass the amendment, with Cllr Slator saying he had since deactivated his Twitter account and had enrolled himself on a course about interacting online.
A Conservative Party spokesman said: “The Conservative Party has an established code of conduct and formal processes where complaints can be made in confidence. This process is rightly confidential. Following the conclusion of this process, Cllr Slator has been expelled.”
Cllr Slator and Bromley and Chislehurst Conservatives group were approached for comment, but had not responded at the time of publication.
Pictured top: Headshot of Councillor Shaun Slator, as shown on the Bromley Council website. (Picture: Bromley council)
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