Cllr Max Drury (Curzon and Westminster) was yesterday found guilty of harassing James (Jim) Meadows and his family after a one-day trial at Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston magistrates court.

Drury, 61, of Clifford Drive, Lache owns Chester Mobility Centre on Sealand Road and until February this year was working with Mr Meadows.

Mr Meadows, who controlled the company finances, handed in his resignation on February 18 but in a letter stated he would "not leave the company in the mire" and would help out with the handling of accounts.

But a dispute arose over money that Mr Meadows owed the business.

Drury claimed Mr Meadows had been embezzling the money but Mr Meadows told the court that it was an advance on his dividend.

Drury then made numerous phone calls and sent an email to Meadows' home on Longfield Avenue, Upton.

On February 27 Mr Meadows' wife Joanne received a phone call from Drury, who asked: "What's it like living with a robber?"

She asked Drury to stop harassing her, to which he replied: "No I won't stop."

Drury also said: "You have been running away to Gareth Kelly, the solicitor, again.

"You are going to be dead by the weekend."

The next day Drury called at the house and demanded the company laptop, car keys and car from Mr Meadows' wife.

Mrs Meadows sobbed in court as she recalled Drury forcing his foot into the door and shouting that Mr Meadows was a "robber" and that he "would be dead".

He also threatened to get his two brothers from Wrexham to kill him.

She said that during a meeting on Friday, February 22, Drury told her husband he would call the fraud squad and that his house would be taken away from him because he had stolen from the company.

A worker at Chester Mobility Ltd, Ken Griffin, called Mrs Meadows because he was concerned that Mr Meadows would commit suicide.

Mrs Meadows said: "It's not been a good few months.

"It's had an effect on everybody – me, my husband and the children."

Mr Meadows called the police and Drury said to him: "I'm a councillor they can't touch me."

During police interview Drury said on tape: "I'm a city councillor I'm above reproach. I'm a councillor not a yobbo."

When questioned about this comment in court Drury insisted that he didn't think he was above reproach.

He said: "I didn't harass anybody.

"I was protecting my property, I was in despair.

"It's like being in a boat with a hole, you do what you can but I was slowly sinking."

District Judge Nicholas Sanders said Drury had been unreasonable in his actions.

He said: "It comes as a surprise that you have relied on your status as a councillor when in reality it had absolutely nothing to do with this case."

Drury was fined £350 with costs of £600 and a £15 victims surcharge.

He was also made subject to a two-year restraining order not to contact the Meadows.