A Conservative councillor who said an alleged rape victim was probably a prostitute has been expelled from the party.
Shaun Slator, who currently sits as an independent councillor on Bromley council, made the comments on Twitter in response to a news report about a rape inquiry in Plumstead, south-east London.
In the tweet, for which he later apologised, Slator claimed it was “more likely” that an alleged rape victim was a prostitute whose “punter … didn’t pay”.
The Conservative party said he was thrown out of the party after a complaints process. A spokesperson said: “The Conservative party has an established code of conduct and formal processes where complaints can be made in confidence. This process is rightly confidential. Following the conclusion of this process, cllr Slator has been expelled.”
Slator said he was “disappointed” by the decision.
After Slator made the comments, in December, the Labour group leader Simon Jeal said his words were “revolting”. The following month, Slator was suspended from Bromley’s Conservative group and, in February, Bromley council voted to condemn his comments.
Slator later apologised publicly, saying he was “not ashamed to admit that I am fallible, and I have made a mistake”, and that he had deactivated his Twitter account. He also said he had signed up for a course about online interaction.
As a councillor, he said he had “a responsibility to reflect more deeply on what I say and post online”.
Colin Smith, the Conservative leader of the council, said Slator’s comments were “beyond the pale”.
Slator told the BBC: “I am, naturally, disappointed by this decision and will be submitting an appeal in due course.”
Bromley and Chislehurst Conservatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
