Liverpool Lib Dem loses election law breach appeal

The Liverpool Echo reports:

A LIVERPOOL councillor failed to have his conviction for breaching election law upheld [sic - should say overturned]. Lib Dem Steve Hurst was found guilty in December of delivering a leaflet entitled “Walton Scab”. It attacked sitting Labour councillor Pauline Walton and her firefighter husband in the May 2007 council elections.

But his appeal was dismissed after a three-day hearing at Liverpool Crown Court.

Judge Mark Brown said: “This sort of conduct brings considerable discredit on his party and local politicians in general, at a time when politicians are under the spotlight as never before. This was dirty tactics of the worst kind.”

The leaflet did not include the name and address of the printer and publisher which is against the law.