A shamed sex offender councillor has been suspended for up to three months while an investigation is carried out.
Former Tory Alan Donnelly was hit with the temporary ban from Aberdeen City Council by the Standards Commission for Scotland.
Donnelly was found guilty in December of sexually assaulting a male waiter at a formal function when representing the city as depute provost.
At trial, Donnelly had denied kissing and touching the man.
He was placed on the sex offenders register and resigned from the Conservative party.
His council colleagues have since agreed he cannot sit on any committee or attend civic functions.
Yet he has tried to cling on to his role representing Torry and Ferryhill.
In a statement, standards commission convener Kevin Dunion said: “We decided that it was in the public interest to impose an interim suspension, to maintain public confidence in the ethical standards framework in Scotland.”
Donnelly’s suspension begins immediately. It follows a report from the commissioner for ethical standards in public life in Scotland about his conduct.
The ban aims to allow the commission to investigate further but should not be “viewed as a disciplinary measure”.
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