A meeting of Darlington borough council’s standards committee will next week discuss a detailed investigation into the behaviour of parish councillor David Darling and borough councillor Colin Pease, both in their 70s.
The investigator, Ellie Dewar, says in the report: “The majority of evidence supports a view that councillor Darling initiated the physical altercation by grabbing hold of councillor Pease’s neck.
Darling began reading a long list of prepared questions to Pease with the conversation becoming heated because Darling was asking them “in a raised voice and provoking manner” and not allowing time to answer.
According to the meeting’s chair, Hazel Bullock, it was Darling who “set upon” Pease who reciprocated “with both men being locked in a very physical exchange of attempted punches and hair pulling”.
One witness said: “Darling flung his arm around CP’s neck and punched him three times in the face.” Another said the men were just “ragging each other around”.
