No police action over alleged threat to councillor

Police are to take no further action against a Conservative councillor who was accused of threatening the Reform UK leader of Leicestershire County Council.

Dan Harrison reported Craig Smith to Leicestershire Police, alleging the Tory had threatened to "knock my block off" during a private meeting.

Harrison revealed details of the alleged incident during a council meeting on 3 December.

Smith, deputy leader of the authority's Conservative group, said he had been voluntarily interviewed by police after the meeting and that the allegation against him was "false".

The force said a 49-year-old man had been questioned over the allegation, and no further action was to be taken.

Harrison told the BBC he stuck by his account of the meeting.

"I know the things I said happened but they didn't meet the threshold for the police.

"The incident did happen," he added.

Speaking in the council chamber on 3 December, Harrison said the alleged incident happened during a meeting he and Smith had on 28 October to discuss "political and personal" attacks made by councillors "from both sides" since Reform took control of the authority in May.

He said the meeting, also attended by Reform deputy council leader Kevin Crook and Conservative group leader Deborah Taylor, was intended to "draw a line" under the attacks and try to agree a new protocol to prevent them in the future.

There was a "robust exchange of views", Harrison said.

Smith, who denied the allegation, said he wanted to "set the record straight" after the end of the police inquiry.

He said: "At that meeting, councillor Harrison made subtle threats against councillor Deborah Taylor, as he has done against me on previous occasions.

"The meeting subsequently became heated as a result, but it should have remained professional.

"Councillor Harrison crossed that line in the meeting and I am sorry for the way I spoke to him back which was clumsy, but not threatening language."

Smith added he was "deeply disappointed that this matter was played out in public in what appears to be an effort to score political points".

He said: "Mr Harrison chose to wait almost six weeks before raising the matter, ultimately using his position as leader to attempt to publicly damage my reputation.

"That delay, and the manner in which this was handled, speaks for itself. This approach wasted police time and served only as a distraction from the serious council business, both myself and Mr Harrison need to be focusing on."

Taylor said: "We've maintained from the start the allegation against Craig Smith was false."

Harrison said he could not comment further because the matter was still subject to an internal county council process.

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