Stalking ex-mayor investigated by council

Graham Roberts, the former mayor of Whitehaven, returned to his duties as a councillor last week

A councillor who returned to his role four months after he appeared in court for stalking a woman is being investigated by a local authority.

Graham Roberts, who admitted to two counts of stalking in May, was sentenced to a 12-month community order and handed a restraining order.

Last week Roberts, 73, returned to his duties on Whitehaven Town Council in Cumbria. A former mayor of the town, he had stepped back a year ago due to ill health.

Cumberland Council said an investigation was under way into "a potential breach of the councillor code of conduct" and a report was being prepared for the monitoring officer. Roberts has been approached for comment.

Whitehaven Town Council declined to comment, but Cumberland is responsible for upholding standards of conduct by councillors on its own authority and the region's town and parish councils.

'Uncomfortable and anxious'

Roberts pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking when he appeared at Workington Magistrates' Court earlier this year.

He had written unwanted love letters intended for a woman who worked at his local pub, but posted them through the wrong door to another woman.

Roberts accessed address information from the electoral roll, the court heard, in a move condemned by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

The court was told the letters included unsolicited comments about the woman's figure and education, along with suggestions that she was his "soulmate".

The accidental recipient said the letters had left her her feeling anxious and she had changed her routine as a result, while the intended recipient told police Roberts had continually asked to date her and persisted despite her never accepting his invitation.

Rachel Parker, CPS senior prosecutor, said: "The impact of Roberts' behaviour is clear; both women were uncomfortable and anxious, and one woman was forced to change her daily routines, leaving her paranoid and mistrusting of others in her life."

Meanwhile, Cumberland Council is due to discuss a question on whether councillors would be subjected to criminal checks.

Westmorland and Furness Council recently approved a similar move, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The question, submitted by a member of the public, asked if Cumberland would follow suit to uphold "the ethical standards of all holders of public office".

Update: Paragraph four of this story was amended on Monday 8 September when Cumberland Council confirmed the specific terms of its investigation.