Pressure growing on shamed Darlington councillor to quit (From The Northern Echo)

Pressure growing on shamed Darlington councillor to quit

8:00am Tuesday 21st February 2012 in News By Lauren Pyrah, Deputy Business Editor

CALLS for a councillor who sexually abused a schoolgirl and downloaded indecent images of children to quit have been renewed.

Despite pleading guilty three weeks ago to undressing and touching the teenager intimately after a party to celebrate his election victory, Mark Burton still remains a member of Darlington Borough Council, representing Harrowgate Hill.

The former Labour Party member, who also admitted downloading indecent images of children, including scenes of rape and bondage, has claimed £6,689 in allowances since his arrest in May last year.

He received the allowances despite being locked up on remand for 150 days and attending only one meeting – for half an hour – since his arrest.

He will be sentenced for both offences on Thursday. If he is ordered to serve a jail term of three months or more, he will be automatically disqualified as a councillor.

He is no longer receiving his allowance after council leader Bill Dixon ordered officers to stop paying it the day he pleaded guilty.

Councillor Dixon has also called for Burton, of Middleham Road, Darlington, who remains in custody on remand, to repay the money.

Last night, senior Darlington politicians renewed their calls for Burton, 43, to step down.

Tory party leader Heather Scott said: “He is morally obliged to resign. So far as I am concerned, he should have done the decent thing and gone before. By pleading guilty to such serious offences, he has admitted to breaking the standards of behaviour of someone who stands for public life.

“We would hope a by-election will happen as quickly as possible so that the people of Harrowgate Hill can once again be fully represented. It is also appalling for the young people who have been affected by this behaviour.”

Coun Dixon said: “I am sad he has not done the honourable thing and resigned.

Unfortunately, unless he is sentenced to more than three months in prison or resigns, our hands are tied.”