Clarke backtracks on his resignation from council post

Clarke backtracks on his resignation from council post

19 October 2016

A WEEK after announcing he was resigning as a councillor, Patrick Clarke has changed his mind.

The Castlewellan politician contacted the media last week to announce he was quitting politics with immediate effect on health grounds. He also verbally informed Newry, Mourne and Down Council chief executive Liam Hannaway he was standing down, but did not provide a follow-up letter confirming his decision to quit.

On Monday, councillor Clarke contacted council officials to say he would not be standing down after all, but his political future remains in doubt. 

The Recorder understands the councillor — who has featured in a number of court cases in relation to fraud, sexual assault and criminal damage — is facing a further investigation after he was arrested in connection with a traffic accident on the Hilltown Road near Kilcoo on Sunday, October 2, when a car he was driving crashed into a ditch.

The PSNI has confirmed a 42 year-old man was arrested and that their enquiries into the incident are continuing. They say the driver of the car left the scene prior to police arriving, but was arrested a short time later at his home address.

The Independent councillor for Slieve Croob — who was unavailable for comment yesterday despite many attempts by the Recorder to contact him — will tomorrow learn his future after admitting breaching the local government code of conduct.

At the first local government ethics standards adjudicative hearing of its kind in Northern Ireland held recently, councillor Clarke, who has twice defrauded community groups, admitted bringing the council into disrepute.

Elected to the council as an Alliance Party member before becoming an independent, councillor Clarke will be sanctioned for breaching the 2014 Code of Conduct tomorrow when he could be barred from politics for up to five years.

His admission that he brought the local authority into disrepute came just before his adjudication hearing was due to commence at the Downshire Civic Centre three weeks ago.

The hearing arose as the result of a complaint made about him by a former Alliance Party colleague, indicating that he may have failed to comply with the newly published Code of Conduct.

The complaint related to Mr Clarke’s criminal convictions since 2015 for fraud, sexual assault and charges relating to a burglary. 

He first broke the law in 2010 when he siphoned almost £2,000 from Drumaroad Community Association, of which he was chairman. Four years later, he defrauded Dundrum Community Association of £750 while an office bearer for the group.

Councillor Clarke also pleaded guilty in court in March this year to sexually assaulting a woman at a Christmas party in 2014, and to possession of an offensive weapon and criminal damage in an incident near his Mill Hill Court Road in Castlewellan on September 5, 2015.

A Newry, Mourne and Down Council spokeswoman confirmed yesterday that councillor Clarke has not resigned and continues as an elected representative for the local authority.

She added: “At no point did councillor Clarke tender his resignation in writing to the council’s chief executive as required. He has subsequently confirmed in writing to Council that he is not resigning.”