"Devastated" Constable resigns from Ministerial role

Monday 24 August 2020

The Constable of St. John has bowed to pressure to resign from his role as Assistant Chief Minister after being found guilty of dangerous driving.

In a letter to Chief Minister Senator John Le Fondré sent yesterday, Constable Chris Taylor said that he was "devastated by the verdict, as I am totally innocent", but added: "I cannot allow my situation to hinder the excellent work you and the Government are doing."

The Constable was convicted following a day-long trial in the Magistrate's Court last week in which it was heard that he had deliberately driven into the legs of a cycle race marshal - an off-duty police officer - at low speed during a row over a closed road last summer.

Pictured: Constable Taylor's resignation letter. (CLICK to enlarge)

Constable Taylor was reported to have said, “You can’t stop me, you’ve got no power,” shortly before striking the marshal.

He was fined £4,000 and banned from driving for 18 months over the offence.

Replying to Constable Taylor's resignation letter, the Chief Minister did not pass comment on his continued protestations of innocence, but thanked him for his service.

Pictured: The Chief Minister's response to the Constable's resignation. (CLICK to enlarge)

Senator Le Fondré paid tribute to the Constable's work on the Migration Panel in particular, saying that it had "provided the foundations for the debate that we are due to have later this year and which should lead t us having a new population policy in place before the next election".

He went on to thank him for his "continuing support and for all the professionalism, experience and hard work you have brought to your role as an Assistant Chief Minister."

News of Constable Taylor's resignation was announced by the Chief Minister in a short statement released shortly after 23:15 last night.

Pictured: The Constable was convicted following a day-long trial in the Magistrate's Court.

"The Connétable of St. John has today offered his resignation from his role as Assistant Chief Minister, which I have accepted. I will not be commenting further at this time, except to thank the Connétable for the work that he has done in that role," he commented.

While the Constable has now offered his resignation from his role as Assistant Minister, he is yet to answer intensified calls from some parishioners to leave his role leading St. John.

Those calls began ahead of his conviction - when it emerged that the Constable had used £7,000 of parish money to fund his legal fees.

The Constable, who protested that the use was justified because he was on 'parish duty' at the time of the alleged offence, has since paid that money back.