Shamed Aberdeen councillor Alan Donnelly has again had his interim suspension extended by the Standards Commission.
The former deputy lord provost has been barred until a hearing into his misconduct next month.
It comes after he was found guilty of sexual assault after trial in December.
The Torry And Ferryhill member denied touching his victim’s face, hair and body and kissing him on the face.
An ethics panel appointed by The Standards Commission “remained concerned public confidence would be adversely affected” if Donnelly were allowed to return to the Town House before his hearing.
It is a second extension of the interim suspension, first imposed on the former Scottish Conservative in March.
In June, the ban was extended for another three months and had been due to expire tomorrow.
Donnelly has resisted repeated public calls from all parties – including his former Tory colleagues – to resign as a councillor.
At Aberdeen Sheriff Court, he was told by Sheriff Ian Wallace that he had given evidence which was “untrue” and sentenced to an eight-month supervision order, placed on the sex offenders register and ordered to pay his victim £800 in compensation.
After his conviction, the exiled councillor resigned from the Scottish Conservatives and was stripped of his positions on the local authority’s committees and the boards of other organisations.
Explaining the further extension of the ban, commission executive director Lorna Johnston said: “The panel remained concerned that public confidence in the ethical standards framework would be adversely affected if Councillor Donnelly was allowed to continue to act while complaints of such a serious nature, involving criminal conduct, were outstanding against him.
“The panel further considered that the council’s reputation could be adversely affected if the interim suspension was not renewed.
“The panel was satisfied that it had not been presented with any evidence or representations that would allay its concerns about these matters.
“The panel concluded, therefore, that it was satisfied that it was both proportionate and in public interest for it to renew the interim suspension.”
Donnelly previously told The Press And Journal he would not comment until his hearing, scheduled to take place on October 6 at Aberdeen Town House.
