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The Constable of St. John has confirmed he has resigned after the Royal Court concluded he was "not fit for office" following his dangerous driving conviction.
Although, as required by law, Chris Taylor will remain in office until his successor has been sworn in by the Royal Court, he will not be attending any future States Assembly meetings.
However, he said his role will be strictly limited to ensuring that the effective day-to-day running of the Parish continues and has confirmed to the Greffier of the States he will not attend any further sittings of the States Assembly.
Pictured: Chris Taylor will remain in office until his successor has been sworn in by the Royal Court, but he will not be attending any future States Assembly meetings.
Taylor's announcement comes three days after the Royal Court ordered him to resign after concluding, “with sadness that his years of valuable service to his parish should come to an end in such a way”, that he was not fit for office and directed he should resign due to his dangerous driving conviction, use of parish funds to pay his legal fees and continued protestations of innocence in the media.
Taylor was found to have repeatedly driven into the legs of a cycle race marshal at slow speed in June 2019 following a Magistrate’s Court trial last year, for which he was fined £4,000 and given a driving ban.
It also emerged that he had used more than £7,400 in parish money to pay for his legal fees to fight the case - funds which he later repaid.
A two-day civil hearing was held last month following a representation from the Attorney General for the Royal Court to consider whether Taylor had breached his oath of office, and whether his two Parish Procureurs, Stephen Hewlett and Michel Larose, failed in their duty to protect the parish’s finances.
In a judgment handed down on Monday, Commissioner Sir William Bailhache, who heard the case with Jurats Blampied, Ramsden and Ronge, the Court, which has an “inherent supervisory jurisidiction” over parish matters, directed to resign because his “level of criminality” was deemed inconsistent with his oath to keep the “Queen’s peace”.
Pictured: The Royal Court directed to resign because his “level of criminality” was deemed inconsistent with his oath to keep the “Queen’s peace”.
The Court noted that it was clear from the Relief Magistrate’s judgment that there was “no middle ground” between the Constable’s account, which was described as “implausible”, and that of the prosecution witnesses.
“It follows that [the Relief Magistrate] must have considered that the Connétable was not telling the truth in his evidence.”
The Court also noted that the facts found by the Relief Magistrate not only established the charge of dangerous driving but could “almost certainly have established a charge of grave and criminal assault if that had been brought”.
The judgment also refers to comments in a media report on the day of the hearing and stated: “I do not accept, however, that the Relief Magistrate was correct to find as she did and I maintain my innocence."
While the Court said it understood some defendants are “personally unable to accept the decision of a criminal court”, they added that or the Connétable to volunteer a statement to a journalist that he was innocent and had been convicted of a crime he did not commit was “different”.
Commenting on Taylor's resignation, Deidre Mezbourian, Chairman of the Comité des Connétables and Connétable of St Lawrence, commented: "For centuries the Connétables have been subject to the disciplinary power exercised by the Royal Court and this demonstrates that we remain accountable."
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Royal Court orders Constable to resign
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