Axed Wyre Council leader who accused fellow Tories of domestic abuse and sexual deviancy sorry for 'lack of judgement'

Peter Gibson sent the shocking email to around 50 people in late 2017 after fellow Tory councillors voted to axe him as leader while he was on holiday.

In it he claimed the spouse of one rival made a “claim that he was violent”, while another “once threw face dog poo at a resident in the public gallery”.

A third, it was claimed, “once turned up at full council after a day out with his pals and bragged he had drank 10 pints”. A fourth was accused of having sex in the back of a vehicle.

Now Mr Gibson says he has written to all Wyre Conservative councillors in to express regret for his 'lack of judgement'.

In it, he said: "Even with my advancing years I look to develop and grow as a person and acknowledging my errors helps me to make that new start.

"I am aware that politicians do not normally make these sort of comments and I can understand if some think I am looking for a way back but I am not, I am looking for a way forward and I hope, you like me, will regard this as a strength and not a weakness.

"This is simply an act of contrition for past mistakes and I sincerely hope that this is how this email will be regarded as l have lost good friends and colleagues for my mistakes of the past."

Mr Gibson led Wyre Council for seven years before being ousted by his own party in September 2017. This followed an allegation from another council member that he turned up for meetings 'worse for wear' for drink, though he strongly denied this.

He said he was 'unwell' at the time of the email scandal and he later spent six weeks in hospital with double pneumonia, sepsis, two seizures, a stroke and respiratory collapse. But he added: "I do not regard them as valid excuses for this lack of judgment and I refuse to hide behind them."

Wyre Council declined to comment.