A CONSERVATIVE councillor has broken ranks by verbally attacking Allah Ditta – and insists his fellow party member’s behaviour “is unacceptable”.

Councillor Aubrey Tarbuck, a former Worcester mayor, said if he was able to attend last week’s ‘no confidence’ debate he would have “either abstained or, frankly, voted for the motion”.

The outspoken politician was unable to attend last Tuesday’s full council meeting because he was recovering from a knee operation.

The motion, which called upon Coun Ditta to resign from two council committees, was passed by 17 votes to 16, despite every Tory member present voting against it.

The motion was drawn up by the opposition Labour group and was backed by the Green Party and Liberal Democrats.

Coun Ditta was secretly recorded threatening to dig up a dead man’s body at the city’s private Muslim cemetery during a dispute with a grieving family over £400 for graveyard work.

Ruhal Hussain, the son of Monuhor Ali, who is buried at the grave, has complained to both the city and county councils. His complaints were rejected on the basis Coun Ditta was acting in a private capacity as a volunteer, not a politician.

Coun Tarbuck said: “What Allah Ditta said was unacceptable. The argument that you can have a public and private life doesn’t work with me. If you are a public figure, you cannot go around behaving like that and say it’s a private matter.

“To say what he has said is awful. I would have thought he would have controlled himself.”

He was the only Tory absent from the vote. He said if he would have been there, Coun Ditta would not have received his backing.

“I’ve always been there for the people I represent – I am my own man,” he said.

“If I was there, I would have abstained, but depending on the debate during the night, I could easily have sided with the motion. I’m not prepared to accept it.”

Coun Ditta said: “I don’t care who you are, everyone has a bad moment. I know what I said wasn’t right, but I will carry on working for the residents.

“Everybody was entitled to vote with their own free will. This matter has nothing to do with the council.

“I don’t know why Aubrey is saying this but it doesn’t bother me.”