A CANDIDATE standing in the Bolton Council elections has been jailed for nine months for indecent assault.

Now, Lib Dem leaders are telling electors not to vote for their candidate Tanwir Taj Din, standing in the Tonge and Haulgh ward.

It is too late for Taj Din, who lives on Hilden Street, The Haulgh, to withdraw from the election but he would not be allowed to serve as a councillor even if he won enough votes.

Taj Din, a private hire taxi driver, was jailed by a judge in Manchester after being found guilty of assaulting a female passenger last August.

It is believed that 28-year-old Taj Din, who also works part-time as a machine opeator, signed his nomination papers for the election knowing he was about to be sentenced.

Party leaders claim they had no idea of his crime when he was selected to contest the seat. They will now reconsider his party membership.

Leading Liberal Democrat Cllr David Wilkinson admitted that the case could damage the party's election hopes.

He said: "People should not vote for him, he could not take office so it would be a waste of public resources.

"We take this matter extremely seriously and we will now hold a full investigation.

"The first thing we knew about this case was when we were told of it on Monday. We were gobsmacked.

"It is possible that it may have a negative effect on our election campaign but it should not deter from the real election issues." Taj Din's family said yesterday that were standing by their son, who read Business Studies at the Univeristy of Dundee, and are convinced of his innocence.

His sister, who asked not to be named, said: "We are stunned by this and we will fight to clear his name.

"He has never been involved in any trouble before."

Taj Din had not canvassed voters in the ward and had not had his picture taken for election leaflets.

A statement released by the Lib Dems yesterday said Taj Din had "vigorously" defended his innocence and that it was possible he could appeal.

It added: "We regretfully feel that we have no alternative but to advise voters in the Tonge with the Haulgh ward that they should not cast their votes for him."

Taj Din, who had denied indecent assault, was sentenced by Judge Martin Rudland at Manchester Crown Court on Monday.

It followed a three day trial in April when he was found guilty of one charge of indecent assault by a Bolton jury.

People who receive custodial sentences of more than three months are barred from becoming councillors.

In the event of him being elected, the fourth-placed candidate will take the seat.

Other candidates in the ward include two other Liberal Democrats, Mary Eidlow and Michael Langdon. Labour's three candidates are Nick Peel, Elaine Sherrington and Frank White. For the Conservatives Nigel John Ford, David Wells Greenhalgh and Kevan Ward are standing.