THERE has been an outburst of anger after the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it was “not in the public interest” to pursue a convicted Wyre Forest councillor over alleged further motoring offences.

Mumshad Ahmed was convicted on June 23 for driving while disqualified and without insurance and now sits as an independent on both Wyre Forest District and Worcestershire County Councils after losing the Conservative Party whip and resigning from the Wyre Forest Conservative Association.

It had also emerged that he was arrested on June 15 on suspicion of driving while disqualified and without insurance but police have revealed his bail has now been cancelled and the case won’t be taken further.

A CPS spokesman explained: “The CPS lawyer who considered this matter is aware that the alleged motoring offences pre-dated Mr Ahmed’s court appearance on June 23 when he was disqualified for two years and received a prison sentence of 12 weeks, suspended for one year, together with a community order.

“In these circumstances the prosecutor decided that to proceed with these alleged offences in the light of the recent sentence would be unlikely to make any difference to that sentence and therefore would not be in the public interest to proceed.”

Dr Richard Taylor, Independent Community and Health Concern Wyre Forest MP, has written to the Chief Crown Prosecutor in protest.

He said: “This decision sets a precedent for freedom from prosecution for anyone who commits the same offence while awaiting sentence for the previous offence.

“There is a very serious groundswell of discontent locally about this decision as it does, to some people, imply that elected councillors may get treated differently from other people.”

Fran Oborski, Wyre Forest Liberal leader, said: “This is appalling. It is the most disgraceful decision I have heard since the CPS was formed.

“It is a licence to commit crime. It would appear that the CPS agrees with councillor Ahmed that he is somehow above the law.”

Neville Farmer, Wyre Forest Liberal Democrat Parliamentary spokesman, added: “I am baffled by their standpoint.

“I just wish councillor Ahmed would act as an honest politician ought to do and call a by-election.”

But Mike Kelly, Labour leader in Wyre Forest, said: “He broke the law, got found out and paid the penalty and that should be the end of it.

“He was duly elected and should be allowed to carry out his duties.”

Mr Ahmed, 35, of Hurcott Road, said: “I am really pleased with the decision of the CPS. It takes away a lot of the pressure put on me by the political opposition.

“It has been nothing but political games,” he told The Shuttle.