Christchurch City Councillor Deon Swiggs has failed to show up at a council meeting this morning, a day after he revealed himself as the local body politician under investigation over alleged inappropriate conduct with a minor.
His name was not read out in the apologies, indicating he had also not advised the council he would be absent. Repeated attempts by 1 NEWS to contact him over email and text have also gone unanswered. Other councillors say they have not been able to contact him since the news first broke on Thursday.
A retired High Court judge, John Matthews, has been appointed to assess a code of conduct complaint made against Mr Swiggs over a series of Facebook messages.
Mayor Lianne Dalziel, who was late to this morning’s meeting, has said the complainants described a “pattern of behaviour and messages” they were concerned about. Mr Swiggs was banned by the mayor from attending meetings where he would be in contact with young people.
Yesterday, Mr Swiggs has sent a statement denying allegations of misconduct and confirming he will co-operate fully with the inquiry.
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