Murder claim politician suspended

Mr Barnbrook admitted two of the "victims" were not actually dead

A BNP politician has been suspended by one authority and censured by another after a probe found he made up details about murders in east London.

London Assembly member Richard Barnbrook said in a video three people had been murdered in three weeks.

But figures revealed there were no serious attacks weeks before the video.

The council where he sits, Barking and Dagenham, has suspended him for October and the Assembly has censured him and told him to receive ethics training.

The Greater London Authority said he should be censured for his behaviour, make a written apology which should appear on the Assembly's website and his personal blog and take the training in ethics and standards in public office.

'Come out wrong'

Barking and Dagenham Council decided he must repeat the apology on his blog or risk the suspension being extended and can conduct no formal business at the authority during October or use its facilities.

In the video he said: "In Barking and Dagenham alone three weeks ago, there was a murder of a young girl. We don't know who's done it, her girlfriend was attacked inside an educational institute.

"Again, two weeks ago there was another attack by knives on the streets of Barking and Dagenham where two people were murdered."

The video of Mr Barnbrook was also posted on the video-sharing website YouTube.

In his defence, Mr Barnbrook said that in the first claim the person was killed outside the area in Newham and details had "come out wrong".

He also said he spoke "too soon" about the other two "murders", as the victims were on life support at the time.