Mayor in Hot Water for Skate Harassment of 13 Year Old Boy

While not quite as sexy as harassing congressional pages, The Mayor of Harpenden (UK) is under investigation for allegedly harassing and threatened a 13-year-old boy over noise level disputes caused by an allegedly crappy driveway skateboard ramp. I think they call it a car park over there. UK readers, a little help? The inmate numbers in the picture above were added by us, as an editorial statement. I don’t to get sued by a gaggle of flouncy barristers in their funny wigs.

Aside from the embarrassment of being an adult in a position of power who is caught bullying little kids, the mayor suffers the further indignity of having his picture get second billing to a skateboard ramp. I like the incriminating shot (of the ramp) with it’s foreboding caption. From the October 5 edition of the Hertz Advertiser article titled Town Mayor Facing Disrepute Allegations

INVESTIGATIONS are underway into claims the Mayor of Harpenden has harassed and threatened a 13-year-old boy.

The local government watchdog is conducting a probe into allegations from Gillian Polding that Cllr John Chambers has been making life a misery for her son – claims which the Town Mayor has dismissed as a “fabrication”.

Gillian, of Ridgewood Drive, said that the incidents had been so bad that she had even called the police about the Mayor’s behaviour and he was given advice under the Harassment Act.

Frightened

Cllr John Chambers
Gillian said: “It’s really affected our family life and at times my son has been frightened to go outside.”

She maintained it was a skateboard ramp her son built on their driveway which had upset Cllr Chambers.

The Standards Board for England have confirmed that they are conducting an investigation into the Mayor but would not give details of the allegations.

They said that he was being looked at for allegedly bringing his office into disrepute, failing to treat others with respect and for using his position improperly to gain advantage or disadvantage.

They started investigating the claims in May this year.

Police have also been involved. Sergeant Lewis Duckett confirmed that they had been called following an incident in Ridgewood Drive. He added: “A local man has been spoken to under the Harassment Act and appropriate advice has been given. No further action has been taken.”

Gillian said that Cllr Chambers was originally called by one of her neighbours who complained about the noise her son made on the skateboard ramp. But, she claimed, the sound levels were checked by Environmental Health and they said there was not a problem. Cllr Chambers said that he simply tried to sort out the dispute and nothing more. He denied any allegations of harassment.

“This is a personal vendetta. I have done everything by the book. As far as I’m concerned I haven’t done anything wrong. If I’m guilty of anything it’s of doing my job. It’s total fabrication.”

He said that he was acting in his role as a district councillor when he introduced the person who had complained to Gillian and that was as far as he took the matter

Cllr Chambers is the second local Mayor to be investigated by the Standards Board – last year former St Albans Mayor Cllr Gordon Myland was ordered to write an unconditional letter of apology to a barmaid he had made lewd comments about and was suspended from district council duties until he had done it.