A SENIOR magistrate and former Mayor of a Kent town has been arrested by police on suspicion of deception.

Michael Dando, who was the first citizen of Dartford from 2000-2001, is already facing tough questions from his wife Julie over an alleged affair.

Father-of-three Mr Dando regularly sits on the bench at Dartford Magistrates’ Court. He was also a Labour parish councillor for Darenth for 12 years, and is currently serving as a school governor on the board of Leigh City Technology College.

Now Mr Dando has agreed to step down from the bench temporarily and Leigh CTC this week confirmed it will be reviewing his position as governor.

Stephen Savage, Kent’s area director for Her Majesty’s Court Service, told the Dartford Mesasenger: “He has agreed not to sit for the present time pending the conclusion of the police investigation.

“At that stage the matter would be considered by the Lord Chancellor’s advisory committee, which will make a recommendation to the Lord Chancellor, Lord Faulkner.”

The only person who can suspend a magistrate is the Lord Chancellor.

Mr Dando, 47, of Fleet Avenue, Dartford, is believed to have worked for a cigarette packing company and as a hotel inspector in the past.

During his year of office as Mayor, he opened the Ingress Park housing estate in Greenhithe with the BBC’s Linda Barker of Changing Rooms.

A spokesman for West Kent Police said: “I can confirm a 47-year-old Dartford man was arrested by Kent Police on Wednesday, May 25 for alleged deception. The man was later given police bail until July for further inquiries to be made.”

She refused to go into detail about the deception offences being investigated.

Cllr Kenneth Leadbeater, the leader of Dartford council and the acting chairman of Leigh CTC, said: “Mr Dando has been a governor of the school for some 10 years. Clearly we will now need to review the position.”

Mrs Dando, 46, who works as a part time hairdresser and is an usher at the Orchard Theatre, said: “I can confirm he’s been seeing another woman.”

She added: “I’m currently going through divorce proceedings because of his behaviour with this woman.

“It’s very hard on the children and so I’m trying to be very strong. It was my birthday last Friday and all this is not what I would have wished for.”

Mr Dando told the Dartford Messenger: “It is true we’ve been seeing each other but there’s nothing wrong in that. These allegations have upset me and it’s very stressful.”

Regarding his arrest by police on suspicion of deception, Mr Dando said: “Someone has made a false allegation against me – an accusation which is totally untrue. I can’t say any more about the police inquiry for obvious reasons.”