A Slough Borough Council sub-committee has cleared a parish councillor of sending racist texts after it was deemed there was insufficient evidence to prove her guilty, despite an investigating officer’s report suggesting it was ‘highly unlikely’ that the messages were sent by someone else.

Wexham Parish Councillor Shaida Abkar was accused of allegedly sending the messages that called for a muslim chair and vice chair for the Parish Council back in April 2016, but she was cleared by the council’s standards determination sub-committee on Tuesday, October 9.

A report produced by investigating officer, John Austin Associates, had come to the conclusion that it was unlikely someone else sent the messages, stating: ” It is stretching the bounds of probability to accept that Councillor

Akbar’s phone was cloned and that the messages were sent by

somebody else. It’s not impossible but I think it’s highly unlikely.”

However the complained was eventually dismissed and a notice of determination published after the meeting said: “After consideration of all the evidence, including verbal representations made at the

meeting by Parish Councillor Akbar, the Sub-Committee concluded that there was insufficient evidence to satisfy them that Parish Councillor Akbar sent the messages and the complaint was therefore dismissed.”