Kāpiti Councillor David Scott resumes his role at the Council table this week after a judge has ruled in his favour.
Cr Scott, facing a charge of indecent assault bought by a senior council staff member, had previously been barred from attending council meetings as part of the conditions set by a registrar in a hearing at the Porirua District Court in June.
Councillor Scott has pleaded not guilty to indecent assault by pressing himself against a female council worker.
Last Friday the case was moved to the Wellington District Court were Cr Scott’s layer Mike Antunovic applied to have the conditions altered to allow him to attend Council meetings.
“I want to do my job which I was elected to do and this ruling by a senior judge allows me to do that.
“I have protested my innocence right from day one and I just want the truth to be out. This whole situation has gone on for four months and will be going on for a lot longer. At least now I can serve the people of Kāpiti as their councillor again,” said Cr Scott.
A full court date for a defended trial is not expected until next year.
In a statement to KCNews Group Manager Corporate Services Wayne Maxwell of KCDC says, “The Council has a neutral position on the prosecution. The Crown Solicitor for the case sought information from Chief Executive Pat Dougherty on options that were available to Cr David Scott to enable him to comply with the bail conditions as they were. In providing this information Mr Dougherty noted his requirement to balance Councillor David Scott’s need to be able to carry out his duties as a democratically elected councillor with his responsibility to ensure the safety and wellbeing of Council staff. The Crown Solicitor provided this information to the Court in recent proceedings.”
