MSP accused of ignoring complaints about ‘sickening’ porn posts by SNP’s candidate

AN SNP MSP has been accused of ignoring complaints about a council election candidate who posted “extreme pornography” on Twitter.

By Ben Borland, EXCLUSIVE

PUBLISHED: 00:01, Sun, Apr 2, 2017

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NC/ GETTY

Paul Wright uploaded sickening and potentially illegal images to Twitter

The sickening and potentially illegal images were uploaded to the social media network by Paul Wright, who has been selected to stand for the Nationalists in Angus.
He will contest the Brechin and Edzell ward, although the party is now facing calls for him to be dropped from the election.
Scottish Conservative local government spokesman, Graham Simpson MSP, said: “These images are sickening and appalling, and it’s no wonder that there were calls to deselect this candidate.

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“It is staggering that the SNP felt that it was appropriate to put him forward for this May’s elections, and I’m sure voters will make their disapproval clear at the ballot box.”
The photos were posted late at night and then deleted the following day but not before they were seen by a number of people in the town, including members of the local SNP branch.
It is understood that Angus North and Mearns MSP Mairi Evans, who is standing down as a Brechin and Edzell councillor, was also made aware of the tweets.

GETTY

He has been selected to stand for the Nationalists in Angus

In January, Mr Wright announced on Twitter that he was no longer being considered as a candidate but that decision was later reversed.

It is staggering that the SNP felt that it was appropriate to put him forward for this May’s elections

Graham Simpson MSP

One concerned local resident said: “The tweets were highly offensive and I know that before they were deleted a number of people had looked at them and were very disturbed by them.
“The local MSP Mairi Evans was sent copies of the images and people within the local SNP branch were also aware of them but it appears that nothing more has happened and he was confirmed as a candidate on Wednesday.
“I mentioned the tweets to a special constable in the area and he suggested I pursue the issue with the police but at the time I thought he had been blocked from standing as a councillor.”

NC

The party is now facing calls for Mr Wright to be dropped from the election

Mr Wright’s user name on Twitter is Paula Honey Rose and until recently he boasted on his profile that he had been described as a “known rabid vitriolic nationalist”.
He is also the organiser of the Be More Brechin pro-independence group and a veteran member of City of Brechin and District community council.
His Twitter account has 2,500 followers, including politicians from all parties such as Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson and the SNP's chief whip at Westminster and Angus MP Mike Weir.
However, many of his followers are local people who simply want to keep up to date with events in and around Brechin.
The two offensive photos were posted during a heated argument with other Twitter users shortly before Christmas, apparently in an attempt to smear one particular individual.