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Ex-councillor pleads guilty to election expenses fraud





Alex MacLeod speaking outside Inverness Sheriff Court.
Alex MacLeod speaking outside Inverness Sheriff Court.

A FORMER Caithness councillor who resigned in disgrace following allegations of electoral fraud spoke today of his “real contrition and remorse”.

Alex MacLeod (21) was speaking outside Inverness Sheriff Court before his appearance in the dock, where he pleaded guilty to forming a fraudulent scheme to circumvent the rules governing election expenses.

He admitted knowingly running up election expenses in excess of the maximum permitted, knowingly declaring false election expenses to Highland Council officials and altering invoices from two printing firms so they failed to show the true cost of his campaign literature.

The charge stated MacLeod, of Delny, Invergordon, induced council officials to process his false expenses and was subsequently elected for the council’s Landward Caithness ward, having conducted his election campaign by fraud. The offence was committed between March 15 and June 8 last year.

Sheriff Margaret Neilson deferred sentence on him until January 9 for a background report. Defence solicitor Duncan Henderson said he would reserve his remarks until then.

MacLeod became the youngest councillor ever elected in the Highlands when he won the contest at the age of 19 in May 2012. He has now become the first councillor in the Highlands to have been prosecuted for election fraud.

MacLeod spoke to reporters outside the court building in advance of his appearance in the dock.

“I have come to Inverness today in a spirit of real contrition and remorse for my acts of foolishness perpetrated in the heat of a campaign,” he said.

“I was offered a great deal of support and guidance by my peers during the election process but I acted of my own volition in a foolish and irresponsible manner.”

Highland Council said it had no plans to review its guidance to candidates about campaign spending limits in future elections.

“The spending limits are clearly spelled out to all candidates and their agents, both at the point when they pick up nomination papers and at the post-nomination briefing,” a spokesman said.


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