Bates guilty, fined £4k and set for expulsion

Montgomeryshire AM Mick Bates has been found guilty of assaulting medical staff who were treating him and fined £4,250. He is also set to be expelled from the Welsh Liberal Democrat Party.

 

The verdict has just been passed at Cardiff Magistrates' Court with District Judge Bodfan Jenkins also ordering the politician to pay £600 compensation and £625 costs.

 

Mr Bates, 63, from Llanfair Caereinion (right), had denied three counts of common assault and public order offences in Cardiff on January 20. The judge rejected Bates' defence of suffering from a rare condition at the time which meant he was not aware or responsible for what he was doing.

 

More bad news for Mr Bates came from his party who said: “The Welsh Liberal Democrats are clear that this conviction for a public order offence is incompatible with the high standards we expect of our elected representatives. Proceedings have begun to terminate his membership of the party.”