The 77-year-old indicated not guilty pleas to corruption charges in court today
The 77-year-old indicated not guilty pleas to corruption charges in court today
Derek Hatton is accused of bribing a Liverpool Council officer as well as procuring his wife to provide confidential local authority information related to his contacts and business dealings.
The former Liverpool Council deputy leader, 77, of Livingstone Drive South in Aigburth, was one of 12 people – including former Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson – to appear at Preston Magistrates Court this morning after being charged with corruption offences stemming from Merseyside Police’s Operation Aloft investigation, which looked into building and development contracts in the city between 2010 and 2020.
Hatton appeared alongside his wife Sonija in the dock today to face two counts. On the first count, he is accused of bribing former city council officer Andrew Barr between November 2013 and November 2020.
In the second count, Hatton is accused of ‘counselling or procuring’ his wife to ‘wilfully misconduct herself by providing confidential Liverpool City Council information in relation to matters of commercial and business use to Derek Hatton’s contacts and his business dealings’ between October 2017 and January 2020.
Hatton indicated not guilty please in court today and will come before Preston Crown Court on April 25.
Standing next to Hatton in the dock was his wife, Sonija Hatton, 49, of Livingstone Drive South.
She is accused of acting as a public officer for Liverpool City Council and ‘misconducting herself in a way which amounted to an abust of the public’s trust’ by seeking confidential Liverpool Council information in relation to ‘matters of commercial and business use to Derek Hatton’s contacts and his business dealings.”
Sonija Hatton indicated a not guilty plea and will also come before Preston Crown Court on April 25.