"A complaint was made to WCC on November 26, 2024, by a Ms Rachel Meadows regarding the conduct of the Aontú councillor in which she alleged that, during a meeting to discuss her ongoing housing issues, Cllr Codd drove her to Bannow Island where he proceeded to grab her "with his right hand", "pulling her towards him", and, that when she pushed him off, "he grabbed her again"."
"While Cllr Codd has accepted that he and Ms Meadows drove to Bannow Island that evening and that he made advances towards her, he told an independent investigator that he did so in the "gentlest way" and was subsequently "rebuffed"."
"While the matter was also reported to gardaí by Ms Meadows, the director of public prosecutions (DPP) decided there was "insufficient evidence to prosecute a criminal case in this instance". However, that did not nullify the investigation under the Council's Code of Conduct."
A complaint was filed with Wexford County Council in November 2024 by Rachel Meadows alleging that Councillor Jim Codd engaged in unwanted physical contact during a meeting to discuss her housing issues at Bannow Island. Meadows claimed Codd grabbed her repeatedly despite her resistance. Codd acknowledged driving to the location and making advances but characterized them as gentle and said he was rebuffed. The council hired independent investigator Michelle O'Halloran to examine whether the conduct breached the Code of Conduct for Councillors. While Meadows also reported the incident to gardaí, the Director of Public Prosecutions determined insufficient evidence existed for criminal prosecution. The council's chief executive and cathaoirleach recommended sending Codd a formal reminder about the code of conduct.
#code-of-conduct-complaint #local-government-conduct #councillor-misconduct-investigation #wexford-county-council
Read at Irish Independent
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]