A town's deputy mayor said he had no regrets after being censured and ordered to undergo ethics training over a tirade of abuse against fellow councillors and members of the public.
West Norfolk council's standards committee upheld three complaints against Douglas Lawson, deputy mayor of Downham Market, accusing him of "woeful behaviour" during "a war" with fellow councillors.
It said his language was "hugely offensive" in a report published earlier this month, after he described the LGBTQ+ community as an "optional lifestyle grouping" like "necrophiliacs" and "bestialists", and recommended he be removed from his post and his seat on town council committees.
Downham town council voted against removing Mr Lawson from committees but members voted in favour of censuring Mr Lawson and requiring him to undergo ethics and standards training at an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday night.
When asked by the BBC whether he had any regrets after the meeting, he said: "Not a bit."
He went on: "Sometimes, when people are rude to you, you're rude back. If someone takes a punch at you in a pub, you take a swing back at them - it's normal."
Members of the public addressed members as the meeting got under way.
"This council has never been put in such an awful position by the actions of one member," one began. "Doug Lawson has waged a war against former members, the former clerk and members of the public."
She said Mr Lawson's behaviour had "shamed the council and all its members" and should be sanctioned by the council, adding: "I would appeal to members' sense of respect and duty to this town and the general public.
"Anyone who supports him will be seen by the public as no better than him."
Eight councillors resigned from the authority in February, along with the town clerk Elaine Oliver.
They included former mayor Jenny Groom, who told the meeting the council should publicly apologise to the clerk, or its members would be seen as "party" to Mr Lawson's "appalling behaviour".
Downham borough councillor Josie Ratcliffe said West Norfolk council had taken the standards process seriously and needed to see the town council takes its responsibilities seriously.
Town councillor Barry Wiles said: "The subject member was using a Facebook page as a private individual and therefore the subject member was acting in a private capacity."
He added none of the complaints had come from anybody who had identified as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and there had been no mention of ethics and standards training being refused.
Mr Wiles said the issue of training had now been addressed by the acting town clerk, adding: "Without it, it's a bit like complaining about your puppy messing on your best carpet without training it properly."
And he said he rejected the recommendation to remove Mr Lawson from the post of deputy mayor.
Mr Lawson said he had not been given the opportunity to defend himself or his actions because his testimony to the standards panel had been disallowed and he had been told councillors on the standards panel had intended to find him guilty.
He went on: "I have the right to face my accusers. No one can stop me telling the truth now, or in the future."
READ MORE: Permission granted for new drive-through restaurant in Thetford
Mr Lawson said Downham town council was under no legal obligation to do anything in response to the standards board's recommendations and could ignore them in the same way West Norfolk council ignored the findings of its own standards committee.
"Woeful has been a word used a lot, bandied about," he said. "It is woeful that the standards committee conducts itself like a kangaroo court."
Councillors moved to a private ballot on whether Mr Lawson should be removed from all committees, whether he should be censured and whether he should undergo ethics and standards training.
The first was rejected while the second and third were upheld.
After the 48-minute meeting, Mr Lawson said he was not sure what being censured meant and would be happy to undergo ethics and standards training.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here