Michael Westerman. Who used to be the match day announcer. Has found guilty of stealing £19.70 from Keighley Cougars yesterday.
He was found guilty of stealing the players wages.

There are now calls for him to step down as Mayor. That means he will have to do the decent thing.

If not then he should be stripped of the position.

Not for one minute, did i not think he was not guilty.

He more than any one, would have known how tight money was at the club.
He more than any one, would have known the hard work going on behind the scenes to work within the community in the town.

Knowing all this and then steal players wages really is the lowest of the low.

The crime he committed was pretty scummy.

What I find more galling is that officials elected by us voted him as Mayor knowing that this was hanging over him as he was charged with the offence way before he got in as Mayor.

I remember an article in the Keighley News where he came out and had the barefaced cheek to deny it all, effectively accusing those involved at the club of lying. Yet he was caught red-handed on CCTV. It didn't half make me mad at the time.

Slimeball

www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/n ... y_verdict/

www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/n ... y_verdict/

I hope he leaves Keighley. He has brought total shame to not only himself, his family but also the Town.

He took everybody for idiots.
Trying to deny it, what a buffoon.
Faith in British justice restored. (Slightly)

Why are councillors calling on him to resign?

Get a Town Council meeting called as soon as possible and strip him of the chains. Don't give him the chance to walk away.

Take his dignity from him, give our town some pride back with some forceful, decisive leadership.

Then the real Pride of Keighley will restore respectability back to the town this weekend.

Dirty thieving piece of .

THE mayor of a Yorkshire town has resigned his position after being found guilty of stealing players’ wages from a rugby league club where he volunteered.

Councillor Michael Westerman, 49, who has now stepped down from his post as Mayor of Keighley, had denied one charge of stealing £19.70 from Keighley Cougars Rugby League Club on August 15 last year.

But he was found guilty after a two-day trial at Bradford magistrates’ court.

Westerman, who became mayor in May, was given a two year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £600 costs.

A Keighley Town Council spokeswoman said he had resigned as mayor as soon as the sentence was given. Deputy Mayor George Metcalf will now take over day to day duties until a new mayor is elected next month.

The court heard that the councillor for Morton and Sandbeds was caught on video stealing wages from the team coach’s office. Staff had set up a hidden camera on police advice. When police searched him they found a stolen £5 in his pocket.

The club’s general manager Helen Carter told the court that she called Westerman to view the footage of him stealing.

“He said he was really embarrassed, he’d never done anything like this before,” said Miss Carter. He kept repeating the phrase but would not clarify what he had done.

Following the case, fellow councillors said the case had been an embarrassment and that the mayoral office had been sullied.

Councillor Ron Beale said the case had made him ashamed to come from Keighley. Other colleagues said Coun Westerman should not have stood for mayor, nor accepted the post, while the court case was pending.

The Keighley Town Council spokeswoman said Councillor Westerman had “resigned from his position with immediate effect for personal reasons and for the benefit of the Town Council.”

She said Councillor Westerman could remain as a member of the council as he was not given a suspended or custodial sentence of more than three months.

The words "rucking fat" spring to mind (but would never be said aloud because we are a family friendly club).

The obvious question is: where else might he have been dipping his grubby paws? The amount he was found with may be small but how long has this been going on?

The other obvious question is how could he possibly stand for office when this was hanging over his head?

Taken from keighley news page.

“I’m not saying I’m guilty – I still vehemently deny it.”
He cannot be serious.

A spokesman for Keighley Town Council said Councillor Michael Westerman, who has completed five months of his year-long term of office, had stepped down for “personal reasons” – but was staying on as a town councillor.

How can this be allowed to happen. He will no doubt like other councillors be renumerated via expenses etc.


Councillor Graham Mitchell, who nominated him as mayor, said he was upset at the verdict.

He said: “I was there when he resigned as mayor at 4.15pm on Tuesday. He didn’t resign because he was forced out. He resigned as an honourable man because that is what he promised his supporters he would do. He did it because it was the proper thing to do.”

The councillor above is on another planet.

I tihink the last poster should think twice before posting on this thread,glass houses etc.

I would like to know, how a convicted thief, can stay on as a councillor.

Also i think, questions need to be asked about Councillor Graham Mitchell. His comment in the Keighley News is disgraceful.

Let him without sin cast the first stone.

Can you help me out a little bit.

Your point is?

My point is, to those who cannot understand, the one who has never done anything wrong in his/her life can be the first to come forward and point the poison finger. This forum is full of posts that cast stones, as the poster above said "people in glass houses" etc. If you think this is a personal attack on you, Guess Who, then you are wrong, but just in case, there is another well known saying, "If the cap fits".

Rubbish. This wasn't pinching an envelope from the stationery cupboard - it was taking someone else's money. FFS!

That envelope was paid for by someone else's money, was it not?

don't be silly.

Not silly really, if whoever had the envelope stolen from them wanted to pursue the matter throught the courts, then they would have to hear the case, and if found guilty then the outcome would probably be very similar.....

So when somebody does something wrong they are not allowed to be criticised? Are we saying that people who rob, steal, or have indecent images of children on their computer should not be vilified. Sure everyone has made mistakes in their lives but I for one have never stolen money, been convicted of a criminal offence or even arrested for that matter. I think it puts me in a reasonable position to be able to criticise someone who has.

This reminds me of a shocking recent incident regarding the daughter of a friend of mine who was punished for criticising a teacher at her christian school who gave his view in front of a class that disabled kids were born that way because their parents had sinned in their life. Very offensive considering her youngest sister has a severe disability. You've got to admit on so many levels this is wrong. Are you holding the same belief as the school did that this child should not have dared to speak out?

The fact of the matter is that we live in a modern, free society where free speech and debate should be encouraged. Michael Westerman has been found guilty beyond all reasonable doubt of a criminal offence in a court of law based on the evidence presented at a trial. He deserves what is coming his way. Ask yourself, how can anyone trust him to preside over a organisation distributing public funds when he's been found guilty of this?

What do you mean by, "If the cap fits"?

?

That is not strictly true.

I agree with this True Brit.

However, I also think that people found guilty by law should serve an appropriate sentence that considers rehabilitation and a re-introduction into society that prevents re-offence.

Yes, they should be villified, but for how long? What about rehabilitation?

If someone has committed a crime but several years later has undergone rehabilitation and is now a "model citizen", would it be fair for someone who carries a grudge to rake it all back up?

The biggest issue I have with discussing crimes (patricularly serious crimes) on a public forum is the possible effect on any victims.

It wouldn't be nice to come on your favourite rugby site only to revisit a traumatic experience.

Without the rule of law we are a rabble but without compassion we are animals.