Councillor pleads guilty to posting offensive messages on social media

A councillor at Rutland County Council has pleaded guilty to posting malicious content on social media.

Richard Alderman, 72, of Lonsdale Way, Oakham, appeared at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court last week and pleaded guilty to four counts of sending by public communication network an offensive, indecent, obscene, menacing message or matter.

He is due to be sentenced this week (4 October) at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court.

The court heard that Alderman posted a number of comments on Facebook between June and July this year which were reported to the police as being racist and malicious.

Detective Constable Damian Young, who investigated the reports, said: “The content of the comments published by Alderman were deemed offensive. He is a prominent member of the Rutland community and should have known better as an elected councillor.

“We treat all reports of this nature seriously, irrespective of who has made them, and we’re pleased that he has admitted the offences.”

The county council said it was continuing to follow proceedings at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court involving Cllr Alderman. “Councillor Alderman has admitted his wrongdoing and pleaded guilty to all four charges brought against him. Criminal conduct of this kind is totally unacceptable.”

It added that, following sentencing, Cllr Alderman’s actions will be the subject of a further investigation by its standards committee and reviewed against the council’s Code of Conduct.