Conduct panel investigating seven complaints against Deputy

Tuesday 16 March 2021

A total of seven code of conduct complaints have been made against Deputy Chris Le Tissier for trolling States' colleagues on Twitter and criticising 'non-locals' using a pseudonym.

The States Members' Code of Conduct Panel is currently investigating the complaints.

The first-time Deputy, who is a member of the Home Affairs Committee and the Development & Planning Authority, has been asked to recuse himself from board meetings while the investigation takes place. However, Deputy Le Tissier remains able to attend and vote in the States of Deliberation.

The States will convene virtually tomorrow, however it is expected to be only a brief meeting, with members asked to defer debate on the Government Work Plan until the following week, when it is hoped the meeting can be staged in person. 

Pictured: It remains to be seen whether Deputy Le Tissier will be dialling in remotely tomorrow when the States meets tomorrow for a scheduled debate on the Government Work Plan. The meeting will open with a vote on whether or not to defer the meeting until 24 March. 

Questions have been raised about Deputy Le Tissier's continued ability to attend States meetings while facing a conduct hearing.

“There is, to my knowledge, no mechanism that would bar Chris from participating in future meetings of the States of Deliberation whilst the Code of Conduct process is ongoing," Deputy Gavin St Pier told Express.

"But given he will not be participating in meetings of either the Committee for Home Affairs or the Development & Planning Authority until the process has concluded, it would seem inconsistent if he chose to do so. Ultimately, it’s a matter for his judgement.”

Deputy Le Tissier's judgement is one of the characteristics at the heart of this matter - he has attributed several months of tweeting as @Radiosutch299 since becoming a Deputy as "an uncharacteristic lapse" in his behaviour. 

The suspended Guernsey Party member told prominent historian Dr Gilly Carr to "leave Guernsey alone" because she is "non local", while also criticising Deputy St Pier with the same retort in comparing his claims as Chief Minister to Deputy Peter Ferbrache. 

Deputy Le Tissier has also been caught repeatedly commenting on States business - since his election - under the guise of a concerned member of the public "listening while WFH (working from home)".

His admission that he was behind the tweets made by 'The Pirate @Radiosutch299' was made three days after Express put the allegations to him, only to receive 'no comment' replies. 

Pictured: An investigation uncovered links between this account and a YouTube account that had been positively identified as belonging to Deputy Le Tissier. A now-deleted video contains a surreal depiction of the USA bombing Guernsey to a distorted rendition of 'Sarnia Cherie' on Liberation Day 2015.

The fallout since has seen him suspended by his political party for six months and shut out of committees, except for the Transport Licensing Authority, which has made no public statements on the matter.