Disgraced social work councillor fined for ‘cruising’

A DISGRACED councillor yesterday admitted cruising in a red light district while trying to find a prostitute.

Gordon Leslie, 65, was spotted by plainclothes police officers as he attempted to buy sex in Aberdeen.

The resulting scandal forced him to abandon his bid to become a Liberal Democrat MSP, but he remains a councillor.

However, last night he faced calls to stand down.

Willie Young, of the opposition Labour group on Aberdeen City Council, said: “He is no longer a fit person to be a councillor and must stand down immediately. He can’t be allowed to continue.”

Gordon Leslie, who lives alone and cares for his elderly mother, was elected to Aberdeen City Council 11 years ago.

Until recently he was the vice-convener of the social work committee and convenor of the child services committee.

He had hoped to move on to represent Aberdeen North at the Scottish Parliament.

But just a day after he was announced as a candidate it emerged that he had been arrested for prostitution offences.

He dropped out of the election race and stood down from his senior committee posts.

On 6 February this year he was spotted by police officers driving in Aberdeen’s red light area. They followed him and eventually stopped and questioned him.

At Aberdeen’s Justice of the Peace Court yesterday Procurator Fiscal Hayley Green said: “He was asked if he had any reason to be in this area. He replied ‘no’.”

Yesterday he pleaded guilty to “loitering in a relevant place” so that it could be inferred that he was trying to obtain the services of a prostitute. He was fined £200.

Leslie’s solicitor Stuart Beveridge said: “He is very embarrassed to find himself in the situation that he is in.”