Strange case of the disappearing leaflet?

Fake election leaflets containing spurious information about labour’s challengers have been a common feature of elections in Rotherham for many a year. This however, is a particularly egregious example.

Rothpol, was sent this photograph taken on an iphone on the afternoon of the 20th November from the presumably fake hotmail account belonging to matildahodgkinson60@hotmail.co.uk. I reproduce it here for your information:

It has been claimed, by Akhtar, that this obvious fake, has been widely distributed amongst Rotherham constituency voters and has been the subject of Labour complaint to South Yorkshire Police. Claiming that this is a genuine election leaflet from Respect’s candidate, Yvonne Ridley!

Labour informants, even conned the Guardian’s Helen Pidd, this article published on 22nd November resulted, Labour complains to police over leaflet’s ‘closet racists’ claim. We here, are surprised that this story should have taken in, a professional reporter like Pidd who merely took what labour told her without ever having seen an original, it would seem!

From evidence we have seen, it is clear this story, is a little more complicated and involves once again Jahangir the Deputy Leader of RMBC being involved in ‘dirty tricks’.

Complaints about election offences are dealt with by Gary Blinkhorn, of South Yorkshire Police and his attention was drawn to this apparent failure by Respect, to follow the requirements of election law, by Jahangir Akhtar.

Jahangir Akhtar confirmed to Gary Blinkhorn that he had in his possession, an original copy of the offending leaflet and the postmarked envelope in which it came. He undertook to provide Gary Blinkhorn, by post, this evidence. Akhtar further claimed that the recipient had been Cllr Shabana Ahmed and said,  she would be happy to make the formal complaint. He copied in both Shabana Ahmed and Mahroof Hussain into this email, why?

Respect, by now on the case, smelt a rat! They themselves requested an original copy, so they could have it examined by an expert, to establish the true identity of the perpetrators of this false leaflet.

From this moment on, a strange thing happened, the original and the envelope became unaccountably unavailable. Despite strenuous attempts by Gary Blinkhorn to get Akhtar, Ahmed or Hussain to come up with a single original of this ‘widely distributed’ leaflet, he failed to get a single copy!

Finally and clearly irritated at his apparent manipulation, Gary Blinkhorn wrote to Akhtar, again copied it to Ahmed and Hussain advising them that he could not proceed with their complaint without their evidence and he was closing this matter as of 6th December.

Was this a ‘put up job’ and an outrageous attempt to involve the Police in labour’s Machiavellian schemes? It certainly would appear so!

Shame on you Jahangir Akhtar, Mahroof Hussain and Shabana Ahmed!