UK Conservative Councillor Who Called Welfare Claimants 'Pond Life' Charged With Child Sex Offences

A Conservative representative of Middlesborough Council previously forced to apologise after dubbing welfare recipients “pond life” who should be “sterilised” has resigned from the party after being charged with nine counts of sexually touching a child.

David Smith, who has denied all the allegations, will appear before Teeside Magistrates Court 7th August. In a statement, he indicated he intended to stay on as an independent, and spoke with pride of his time as a Councillor, which saw him “tackling the issue of pot holes, ordering bollards to be installed to ensure the public stop parking on a resident’s property, highlighting the ever increasing issue of drug use and being a very proud advocate of the local LGBTQ community.”

​“I am writing to inform you I am resigning from the Conservative Party and the Middlesbrough Council Conservative group with immediate effect in light of the allegations that have been made against me. I completely reject these spurious allegations and removing myself from the party will ensure I can focus all my efforts on fighting to clear my name. I have worked hard to ensure I serve the people of Coulby Newham to the best of my ability. The allegations made against my character are nothing more than damaging lies and moving forward, I will seek to prove this is the case in a court of law,” he said.

Not long after his election, he hit headlines after it emerged he’d labelled people on benefits “pond life” who should be “sterilised” on an internet forum 2014.

“The heinous benefit system which has lead [sic] to rotten pond life families that should be sterilised and washed. There are so many genuine cases. But there is a large portion who are claimants that take the absolute Pi$$. Yet they continue to breed. Rabbits the lot of them,” he fulminated.

​No action was taken by his party over the comments.