Hepburn Shire Council Chief Executive Officer, Bradley Thomas, and Councillor Don Henderson have been served with alleged criminal charges initiated by an individual as part of a private prosecution.
While uncommon, a person can initiate a private prosecution in Victoria by laying criminal charges for certain offences through the Magistrates’ Court. The state’s Director of Public Prosecutions or Victoria Police also have the power to take over or discontinue the proceeding.
“It has not involved an investigation, fact‑finding process, or assessment by Victoria Police or any public prosecutorial authority,” the Council said in a statement.
“Council is taking the matter very seriously and is acting in accordance with the Local Government Act 2020 and Council’s Integrity Policy.”
As required by the Local Government Act 2020, Councillor Henderson has been automatically stood down while the matter is managed through the appropriate processes.
“The Chief Executive Officer is not legally required to stand down and will continue to act in his role,” Council confirmed.
“Council is incredibly disappointed with the allegations and fully supports Mr Thomas and Cr Henderson as they work to resolve these matters.
“Council supports a fair process and will uphold any recommendations handed down by the courts.”
