A Lib Dem councillor has been suspended for allegedly hitting a seven year-old boy – but will still be on the ballot paper for next month’s local elections.
Colin Rosenstiel, 64, has been charged with assault and is due to stand trial.
But he is still standing for re-election to Cambridge City Council where he has been a member since 1977.
Rosenstiel appeared before Cambridge magistrates last Friday accused of assault on the youngster in November last year.
His party said they only found out about the charges the evening before his court appearance and they suspended him on Sunday.
But his name will still appear on the ballot paper for next month’s local elections because the party missed the deadline to withdraw candidates by a matter of hours.
Spencer Hagard, chairman of Cambridge Liberal Democrats, said the party would probably not have chosen Rosenstiel as a candidate had they known about the assault charge.
Mr Hagard said: “The Liberal Democrat local party has been distressed to learn that Colin Rosenstiel, a candidate for the Lib Dems in the upcoming city council elections, appeared in Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on Friday on a criminal charge.
“No-one in the local party had been made aware of this until late last Thursday evening despite the party’s rigorous internal requirements of candidates.
“This was a matter of hours after nominations closed for the elections in which Colin had been nominated.
“Under election law nominations cannot be withdrawn after that point.
“Although Colin must be regarded as innocent unless proven guilty of the criminal charge, the party would in all likelihood not have chosen to present him as a candidate until he had had the opportunity to clear his name.
“In the light of these events, the party will not be promoting his candidacy even though his name will unavoidably appear on the ballot paper.
“What is not in question is Colin’s hard work over many decades for residents in the city centre, which led to his nomination in the first instance.
“We will not be making further statements about this matter while legal proceedings are ongoing.”
Rosenstiel has been suspended pending a disciplinary hearing at some point during the next 14 weeks.
He is currently on bail and is due to go on trial at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on July 15.
