The Democratic Unionist Party has suspended a party member it found guilty of harassing a gay colleague, it emerged yesterday.Mr Arthur Templeton, a councillor in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, was found to have harassed another member of the local authority.
Mr Templeton told Mr John Blair, who sits with him on the area's district policing board, that he should be wearing a pink rosette because he was "queer".
Members of the central Policing Board in Belfast yesterday met to discuss whether to discipline the DUP man, but decided to wait until after his period of appeal.
But a spokesman for the DUP yesterday confirmed: "Councillor Arthur Templeton has been suspended from the Democratic Unionist Party with immediate effect.
"He will be afforded the opportunity of a hearing with party officers after the Easter period. Behaviour of the type Councillor Templeton has been convicted of will not be tolerated within the ranks of the DUP."