Woman arrested for entering mannequin in local Scotland election

GlobalPost

Name: Helena Torry. Candidate for: Local council. Place of birth: Tailor shop. 

Uh-oh. Local authorities were not amused when they discovered that a mannequin had been entered in local elections in the Scottish city of Aberdeen, reported the BBC.

The candidate's "agent," 63-year-old Renee Slater, was jailed Thursday on charges of violating the Representation of the People Act, local authorities today told the Independent.

The dummy was running on the ballot for the Hazlehead, Ashley and Queens Cross ward in Aberdeen's local council elections, said the Independent

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Grampian policewoman Valerie Watts told the Daily Record: "It has been brought to my attention that Helena Torry, for whom a nomination paper was submitted for the Hazlehead, Ashley and Queens Cross ward, does not exist."

"I am, therefore, republishing the Notice of Poll for that ward, deleting the reference to the fake candidate," said Watts, calling it a "very serious" issue.

But Slater played down the affair in comments to local press, saying, "I think the police have much more important things to deal with than me," said the Daily Record.

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