Clerk to Port St Mary Commissioners Hayley Fargher has been subject to abusive and nuisance phone calls for several months.

One of the commissioners - Laurence Vaughan-Williams - refused to deny he had been in touch with the person behind the calls at a recent authority meeting.

Commissioner Ian Skelly raised the issue, that had previously been discussed in private, in the public session.

Mr Skelly asked Ms Fargher if she was still subject to occasional abusive phone calls and numerous silent phone calls.

Ms Fargher replied that she was not.

Mr Skelly said that in an earlier private discussion he suggested Ms Fargher should report the matter to the police and Manx Telecom as unidentified numbers can be traced. 

He said: ’As this was only common knowledge to the eight sitting board members who attended that meeting it seemed more than a coincidence that the calls stopped immediately after that meeting.’ 

Mr Skelly asked board members if they ’have any knowledge or have they passed on any information to a third party regarding these calls’. He asked board members to reply individually to this question.

All denied they had, except for Mr Vaughan-Williams, who refused to comment and said he was not prepared to answer that question.

Mr Vaughan-Williams later said: ’There are two reasons I chose not to respond.

’It was not on the agenda and it was akin to a witch hunt. I don’t know anything about abusive phone calls. I don’t see why there is any implication at all if I refused to answer. Whether anybody was tipped off means somebody must know who is calling. I don’t associate with people who make nuisance calls. I have no knowledge of anybody who would make the calls.

’Why should I answer to protest my innocence when I haven’t the slightest idea what it’s about. I’m not going to justify declining to answer. What would the question prove? The person who leaked it is not going to admit it.’

Commissioners’ chairman Michelle Haywood said: ’At the next meeting there will be a strategy document about a mental health first aid course (for staff). It is as a result of various things that have happened over the last year. There are allegations people are being badly treated.

’We will not tolerate harassment or abuse of any of our staff. It’s not fair in their working environment and they’re all very good at their jobs.’

The identity of the abusive caller is known but she is ’under a legal obligation’ not to reveal their identity.

Police have been informed, but Dr Haywood said as the calls have stopped they will ’keep a watch on it’.