The case against former SNP councillor Craig Melville has still not been brought to trial, a full year after the incident is said to have taken place.
Former SNP representative Melville was charged by police in April of this year, after allegedly sending “racist” text messages to a fellow party activist in the wake of last November’s Paris terror attacks.
Melville’s case has yet to be brought to trial, and a spokesperson for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service — the organisation responsible for the prosecution of crime in Scotland — said the case is still “live and under consideration”.
North East Scotland MSP Liam Kerr said the case against Melville appeared to be moving “very slowly”.
The Scottish Conservative claimed delays in trials being brought to court were due to the extra workload brought about by court closures in the area.
He said: “The wheels of justice appear to be moving very slowly in this case, but people should not be surprised at the length of time it is taking to get to court.
“The Scottish Conservatives recently highlighted huge delays in our justice system since the closure of courts across the country, including in Arbroath and Cupar.
“We know that Dundee Sheriff Court is one of the many now bearing an extra workload as a result, with the percentage of cases taking 26 weeks or less between charge and verdict dropping to 64% in July from 73% prior to the closures.”
Melville resigned from his post as a Maryfield councillor after the allegations came to light in February of this year.
He was also suspended from his job as an aide to Dundee East MP Stewart Hosie in January, but remained on full-pay because no internal disciplinary meeting had been carried out.
The Paris terror attacks in November 2015 were carried out by Islamic State militants and were described by French President Francois Hollande as an “act of war”.
Terrorists killed 130 people in coordinated bombing and shooting attacks across Paris on November 13, and wounded hundreds more.
