Assault charge for re-elected Dunedin board member

Bevan Thomas Dowling was re-elected on Saturday but faces an assault charge after an incident the day before.

A local government representative has appeared in court after allegedly assaulting a woman the day before he was re-elected.

Bevan Thomas Dowling, 58, found out at the weekend he would serve another term on the Strath Taieri Community Board but a cloud hung over any celebrations as police had been at his rural Tiroiti property the previous day.

He appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday charged with assaulting a female. The case was adjourned for three weeks, to allow diversion to be considered.

The scheme permits mostly first-time offenders an opportunity to avoid conviction if police believe the offending is relatively low-level.

The complainant told the Otago Daily Times she supported the bid for diversion and that Dowling was ''a bloody good bloke''.

She said he was under pressure at the time.

The alleged assault happened on Friday, after the defendant had been at a rugby club meeting, the woman said.

Dowling was reluctant to comment.

''I went to court today with my lawyer and we were working our way through it,'' he said.

Asked whether he believed the charge jeopardised his position as a community leader, he said: ''I did something last Friday to try and alleviate this, but I can't tell you what it was.''

Dowling will be back in court in three weeks and will have to accept responsibility for his actions before diversion is granted.

He will also have to fulfil certain conditions in exchange for the charges being withdrawn and may have to write a letter of apology or attend a restorative justice conference.

The police website says family violence offences, sex, drug and dishonesty crime usually make a defendant ineligible for diversion.