A former Democratic Unionist mayor was yesterday jailed for four months after it emerged he bullied staff at a residential home into handing him postal ballots for last year's elections.
Relatives of Dessie Stewart (57), of Parker Avenue, Portrush, who is a former mayor of Coleraine, were shocked after Judge Piers Grant jailed him after he admitted impersonating voters and preventing them from casting their votes in last year's Westminster and local government elections.
Stewart was also banned for five years from holding public office, standing for election and voting.
Antrim Crown Court, sitting in Newry, was told how Stewart bullied staff at the Tieve Tara residential home in Portrush into giving him the postal ballots for 15 residents on April 25th, 2005.
The voting irregularity was discovered as votes were counted for the East Londonderry seat in the general election after staff noticed the same handwriting was on the declarations of identification accompanying the ballot papers and that they had been witnessed by the same person.
Judge Grant told Stewart, a councillor for 17 years until he quit this year: "I am satisfied that given your long experience and familiarity with the electoral system that you knew what you were doing was entirely wrong.
"I am further satisfied that you used your position as a councillor and standing in the community to bully the [residential home] staff into giving you the voting papers and to ride roughshod over the concerns that they expressed."
The court was told Stewart visited the residential home on the day that postal voting papers arrived and on learning that the proprietor was on holiday demanded that they be handed over to him to take care of.
Derval McGuigan, prosecuting, said that when a member of staff queried him, Stewart said: "This is the way it is going to be done from now on."
His manner was described as overbearing.
Judge Grant said: "I have no doubt she complied with your demands because of the forceful and arrogant way in which you swept aside her concerns and queries."
He asked another member of staff to witness the signatures of residents at the home, but when she indicated she was too busy, Stewart said he would do it for her.
When the proprietor returned from holiday, Stewart was challenged about his actions but refused to hand over the papers, insisting what he did was perfectly legal.