Tory councillor has no case to answer in 'faggot' row

Jim Farquharson has been cleared of breaching the councillors' code of conduct by Scotland's local government watchdog following claims that he launched a "homophobic" tirade against John Stewart, who was, until recently, the leader of Aberdeen City Council.

Mr Farquharson, who is now part of a three-member "Independent Alliance" at the city authority, had admitted he called the leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the council a "fascist" and a "fat git" when both men confronted each other in a corridor at Aberdeen's Town House following a stormy committee meeting. But he denied claims made by Mr Stewart that he had called him a "faggot".

Following an investigation, Stuart Allan, the Public Standards Commissioner for Scotland, has concluded there is no case to answer. Mr Farquharson said yesterday: "I knew it wasn't true but then, during the actual hearing, I suddenly thought how can you prove that you didn't say something?

"I am glad that justice has been to be done. I hope a line can now be drawn under the matter."

Mr Allan states in his ruling that Mr Stewart, who entered a civil partnership with fellow Lib Dem councillor Neil Fletcher in 2005, had accused Mr Farquharson of "gratuitously and obstreperously" criticising him and that shortly after the committee meeting he continued to berate him, calling him a "fascist" and a "faggot" or a "fat git".

Mr Allan said: "I took account of the relatively wide variation in reactions between the witnesses when asked to assess the culpability of the respondent's behaviour.

"Taken overall, while I was able to make a finding to the effect that the respondent's behaviour at the end of the meeting fell short of acceptable standards - he conceded as much himself - I was unable to conclude that this represented a breach of the code."